


Not Like Other Boys

by seawitch27



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-12-17
Updated: 2011-12-16
Packaged: 2017-10-27 10:45:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 56,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/294955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seawitch27/pseuds/seawitch27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For as long as the stars have shone, werewolves have ruled the earth and humans have been inferior. Jock Jensen Ackles has no doubt of the superiority of his kind, but artist Misha Collins is less certain. Change is afoot; he can feel it, regardless of Jensen’s arrogant assumption that humans are better underfoot. Their world and beliefs come tumbling down with the arrival of Jared Padalecki. Jared is a human transfer student (something of a rarity) and immediately attracts the attention of both Misha and Jensen, much to the whole school’s interest, because everyone knows not to get involved with the Ackles-Collins rivalry. Jared, however, has eyes only for Misha, but soon finds himself torn between the two most desirable guys in school all while struggling to keep his grip on reality as his brother spirals into danger and his parents battle for equality… and Jensen and Misha have their own history…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Like Other Boys

**Author's Note:**

> Written for http://sassy-minibang.livejournal.com/

  
Prologue   


He should have expected this.

That was the thought that reverberated in Jared’s mind as he lay huddled in this dark, damp cage. For all the High Priestess had praised his gifts of premonition, he had never seen this. For all his dad had commended him for his ability to empathize with others, he had never anticipated this.

Why not? He had dated Tom Welling for nearly a year and a half. It was questionable how well anyone really knew the future head of the Texas branch of the Militia, but Jared thought he had come close. He and Tom had shared many nights of simply curling up in the other’s arms, the older boy seemingly content to wait until Jared felt comfortable to do anything more. At the time, Jared had hated himself for being hesitant. At twenty-three years old with killer good looks and a mind that performed calculations more rapidly than a calculator, Tom could have anyone he wanted.

And he wanted Jared. Jared, the virginal sixteen-year-old son of a Druid, with too-long hair and feet he kept tripping over. Jared, whose books were his closest friends. Jared, who was constantly in the shadow of his strong big brother and confident cousin.

Jared fell in love the very first time Tom set his piercing blue eyes on him.

But that was two years ago. Two years, one new high school and two boys who made Jared realize what it meant to live and not just survive…

“Thinking about them again?”

Jared jumped, instinctively curling into a tighter ball, though it did nothing to disguise the fact he was naked. Tom chuckled softly and sauntered towards him, eyes gleaming even in the shadowy basement.

“Really, Jared, I would have thought you’d learned your lesson by now. If you’re going to be a whore, there’s so much more benefit to being a whore to your own species.”

Jared glared up at him. He could imagine Misha’s soothing voice in his head, telling him not to let Tom get to him. He could also imagine Jensen, on a more practical note, telling him not to say anything to anger the temperamental older human.

But Jared was alone, trapped, and rescue wasn’t coming. What did he have to lose? “I’m not a whore. That was always your forte, remember? Still in touch with Mike?”

Tom, leaning against the bars of Jared’s prison, just smiled. “Is that why you hooked up with not one but two werewolves? Figured it would hurt less when they inevitably cheated on you?”

Jared snorted. Misha and Jensen? Now there was an unlikely combination. Although, come to think of it, that’d actually be hot… Jared wondered if they’d make out in front of him if he asked nicely. He’d give it a shot if he got out of here.

When. When he got out of here.

“You don’t have any claim on me,” Jared said coldly. “Who I choose to see is nothing to do with you. And it’s even less of your business whether they’re human or not.”

“Ah,” Tom crouched down, reaching through the bars to caress the sharp angles of Jared’s face. Jared tried to turn away but fatigue and hunger made him slow and Tom caught him in a bruising grip. “That’s where you’re mistaken, sweetheart. Werewolves _are_ my business. I don’t like them on principle, but I like them even less when they’re fucking my favorite piece of ass.”

“Wow, try not to sound too sentimental. Someone might think you _care_ about me.”

Tom slapped him hard across the face. “You know,” Tom said, voice soft as ever, “I’ll beat that attitude out of you no matter how long it takes. After all, Jared, we do have the rest of our lives together. It won’t be an eternity, but I’m sure we can make it seem like one.”

“I hate you,” Jared hissed.

“I know you do. Unfortunately for you, that’s not going to stop you getting pregnant.” Tom straightened up, his height all the more apparent when Jared was crouched on the floor. Kneeling at his feet, as Tom would see it. Jared summoned enough energy to glare up at him. “You know, everyone thought I was crazy for going after you. A Druid’s kid? A Druid’s kid with a likely role in your father’s coven? Still,” Tom smiled slowly, baring his teeth, “I think the advantages far outweigh the negatives. It’s just a shame your family won’t be around to see how low you’ve sunk. And as for your _boyfriends_ … well, werewolves aren’t good at sharing, are they? They’ve never liked sharing equality with us. Even if they do find you – and they won’t – no one’s going to want you. Might as well get used to being my little fucktoy. Then again,” Tom paused, tilting his head in thought, “you weren’t ever anything else, were you? The ceremony tonight is just going to confirm it.”

Jared stiffened, dread curling low in his stomach. “What ceremony?”

Tom shook his head fondly, eyes glittering. “C’mon, darling. You got a scholarship to Eros Academy, I know you’re not stupid. I’m not keeping you down here for decoration purposes.”

Jared clenched his fists, glaring. Ever since Tom had taken him here several days ago, his mind had gnawed on the likeliest outcome for his future like a starving rat. He knew what was coming, even if up until now he had refused to acknowledge it.

“I can see we understand each other,” Tom said, smiling. It never failed to strike Jared just how beautiful his ex-boyfriend was. When he was like this, soft-toned and smiling, most people would have given anything to keep him happy. Jared had once been one of them.

In the past, Tom’s good looks had struck him like the caress of a penknife. Now, though, they sliced with the force of a hundred blades.

“After all,” Tom continued, “sex magic is the most powerful.”

“Only if it’s consensual, you asshole.”

The guise lifted and Tom glared at him, sharp-eyed and deadly. “Trust me, Jared. It’ll be consensual.”

Good mood restored, he winked at Jared and strolled away without a backwards glance; safe in the knowledge Jared wasn’t going anywhere.

Energy spent and exhaustion rapidly catching up with him, Jared slumped against the wall of his cell. Against his will, a tear slipped down his cheek, but he comforted himself with the thought that no one was around to see.

Jared did not want to think back to what had resulted in him being here, tied up without protection, without backup and without clothes, but it sure as hell beat thinking forward to what lay in store for him.

*

  


  
Chapter One   


The morning of Jared’s first day at the highly exclusive Eros Academy dawned bright and beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, Jared thought it should be illegal. It didn’t seem fair the day he had been dreading for months was not spitting with rain and sparkling with lightning. A thunderstorm would at least have cheered him up.

Jared took one last look in the bedroom mirror. He’d rejected Chris and Sandy’s oh-so helpful suggestions for what he should wear on his first day at school, and had instead gone to Steve – who was much more useful than either his brother or cousin. The jeans, admittedly, were tighter than Jared was used to but Steve insisted that was the way they were worn. Actually, he’d given Jared a roguish wink and loudly proclaimed he had married the wrong Padalecki brother.

Chris, for some strange reason, did not find this very amusing.

Taking a deep breath, Jared breezed into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice. He was afraid to look any of his family members in the eye, worried they would see just how flimsy his confident façade was. His father’s transfer had been approved long before Jared’s… accident but Jared knew the main reason they had returned to Texas was to give him a second chance and he was determined not to seem ungrateful.

“How did you sleep, sweetie?”

“Fine,” Jared said to his mom, too quickly, as he prepared his toast. He had lain awake, brain alert, and stared at the ceiling for hours, even with the sleeping tablets he had been taking since… just since.

“Have you lost weight?” his mom asked, her voice taking on a stern edge. “I swear that shirt fit last week.”

“Ma, leave him alone,” Chris, Jared’s elder brother, said. “It’s not Jared’s fault he’s a beanpole, we can’t all be handsomely muscular.” Even without looking, Jared knew his brother would be flexing his biceps proudly.

“We can’t all be handsome, either,” Sandy said, smirking, as she took a sip of coffee. “I think it’s obvious who the good-looking genes in this family went to.”

“Not you,” Chris said, quick as a flash. “What are you supposed to be anyway, the Wicked Witch of the West? You’ll scare off any customers at that tiny shop you’re working at.”

Jared glanced around, smiling when he took in Sandy’s black eye shadow, her pale skin and her red lips. “You look great, Sands.”

He said it partly out of sincerity, and partly as a peace offering. She smiled at him cautiously and their earlier conversation played in his mind.

_“You excited?” Sandy said flatly, her hands clenched._

_Jared glanced at her. “I guess so.” He watched as his cousin turned her head, her dark eyes unreadable. “Sands? What’s wrong?” Jared reached out to touch her shoulder and watched, hurt, as she flinched away._

_“Nothing’s wrong. What could possibly be wrong? My kid brother’s only going off to a werewolf high school, nothing’s wrong –”_

_Jared’s eyes softened. “It’s not a werewolf high school. It’s been integrated, remember? Other humans will be there.”_

_“Fantastic,” she turned away but Jared could tell she was wiping at her eyes. “A total of ten whole humans in a class of one hundred. You’ll be inundated with support.”_

_“Sandy, I’ll be careful.” Jared stared hard at her back, willing her to turn around. “You know I will.”_

_“Oh for pity’s sake,” Sandy spun round, eyes sparking fire. “Being careful isn’t enough! You don’t think other people are careful? You don’t think – you don’t think my parents were careful? Damn it, Jared, you need to be more than careful.”_

_Jared stepped forward quickly and, before she could stop him, wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. She trembled angrily in his embrace but did not try to push him away, which was how Jared knew just how upset she was._

_“I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair. It still felt strange being taller than her. For so much of their lives, Sandy had seemed to tower over him, confident and determined when he was shy and unsure. However, Jared had hit his growth spurt the year before and since then it felt like his bones hadn’t stopped aching._

_Sandy sniffed and pulled away. “You’ve got nothing to be sorry for,” she said in the same flat tone._

_Jared nodded, even though she wasn’t looking at him, and went through a final check of his bag. He needed to make a good first impression – hell, he needed to make a good first impression every day at this new school, and that meant not forgetting anything, not being late, not slipping up for even a second. He was hanging onto his recently acquired place by a thread and he was not going to back down._

_“Just promise me you won’t get into trouble,” Sandy said suddenly._

_Jared winked. “You know me. I’m a trouble magnet.”_

_The joke fell flat, disappearing through the slats in the wooden floor, and Sandy continued to gaze at him with a face devoid of emotion._

_Jared hesitated. He wanted to promise her – he hated seeing her worry. But he also never made a promise he couldn’t keep._

_“I’ll try my best,” he said finally and Sandy acknowledged that with a tight nod._

“Jared? Jared, son?”

Jared glanced up, surprised, and met his father’s gaze. “Yeah?”

Jeffrey Padalecki rolled his eyes, but it was done with fondness. “I asked if you wanted to help out on the weekend. There’s a protest being organized in the town center.”

“Jeff, are you sure that’s a good idea –” his mom began.

“I’ll be there,” Jared drained his juice and quickly took his plate to the kitchen counter, hoping his mother hadn’t noticed how little he had eaten.

Naturally, he could feel her eyes boring into his back like spears, but for once she chose not to comment.

“It’s only if you’re free,” his father said cautiously. “If you’ve got homework –”

Unconsciously, Jared gripped the sides of the counter until his knuckles paled. “Dad, I’ll be there. I’ve got to stop being scared sometime, don’t I?” He turned around with a bright smile and instantly saw that it convinced no one.

Chris made a low noise in the back of his throat. “If I could just get my hands on that asshole –”

“Christian, enough,” Jeff said. “Jared, I know this is easier said than done,” his dad waited until Jared raised his head to meet his gaze, “but please try not to worry. This is a fresh start, a new beginning, and I know you’re going to love the high school. And they’re going to love you.”

“You don’t know that,” Jared said under his breath. He took a deep breath. “But I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

His dad gazed at him sternly. “I do so know that. Remember? Father knows…?”

“Father knows best,” Sandy and Chris chorused. Sandy waited until he had taken a sip of his drink before adding, “But Mother knows better.”

Jeff choked and Samantha gave him a serene pat on the back.

“As I was saying,” Jeff said, when he had recovered, “you’re not to worry, Jared. And you’re… you shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened.”

Steve gave an emphatic nod from across the table and Jared’s heart constricted. He looked down, embarrassed by the tears that sprung to his eyes. Swallowing down his emotions, he gave a tiny nod of acknowledgement and scuttled out of the kitchen.

Teeth clean and hair as tidy as it was ever going to get, Jared tugged on his jacket and wrapped a thin scarf around his throat. He touched the silky-smooth skin of his neck, and for a split second he was back in Aphrodite High, giggling like a girl (a fact Sandy would highly object to, given that she _never_ giggled… or at least not very often) and trying to cover up the memories of his last date with the boy who, for a brief moment, had hung the moon and the stars just for Jared.

“Hey,” Chris’ gentle voice made him turn. “Just so you know… you should have taken my fashion advice.”

Jared rolled his eyes and was unsuccessful in dodging Chris’ attempts to mess up his hair. “I don’t think a biker from the shady part of town is quite the look they want, Chris.”

“You don’t know what bikers from shady parts of town even look like, baby bro, you’re far too sweet and innocent for that.” Chris seized his shoulder and looked directly into Jared’s eyes, something that was not as easy as it had once been since Jared was now a good two inches taller than him – to Jared and Sandy’s great delight.

Chris scowled for an all-too-brief moment before his expression turned serious. “If anyone messes with you, human or not, I swear I’ll kick their asses to hell and back.”

“I’ll do worse,” Sandy’s cold voice entered several seconds before her as she stomped into the hall, her fists clenched.

Jared stared at them, lost for words. He wanted to be annoyed, as he was in the past when Chris and Sandy pulled rank as the elders and insisted on being overprotective, but now all he felt was grateful.

Because, excited as he was, Jared was also terrified. Humans like him did not win scholarships to non-human schools, and he kept waiting for the axe to fall, the realization that he was never meant for this. And then there was the fact that it was his responsibility to take precautions, to ward against his throat being ripped out by over-zealous classmates. He touched the small pouch of wolfsbane, hung at the base of his neck by a silver chain, just to check it was there – though he rarely took it off. The herb was supposed to disguise his scent, making it difficult for his werewolf classmates to react to his emotions. The silver was supposed to act as a barrier if he was attacked. _Supposed to._. There were no guarantees here; Jared was on his own.

Then again, Jared had survived the last summer. He could survive anything.

“All right, all right,” his father was saying. “Enough of the violent talk. Haven’t you got a morning shift today, Chris?”

Chris gave a grunt of annoyance and stomped into upstairs without a backward glance and Jared gave Sandy a quick hug before stepping out into the world and hoping he could just survive his last year of high school.

*

The five of them – Jensen Ackles, Danneel Harris, Matt Cohen, Katie Cassidy and Chad Michael Murray – were not often in Eros Academy early. Although they each had a private chauffeur and lived within walking distance, they preferred to saunter in at the last possible moment, too early for a detention and too late to avoid attention. The envy and desire they could sense from their peers was a better high than the one they obtained from human alcohol – easier to obtain, too, what with their werewolf systems needing a lot just to get a little of the high the humans seemed to reach so easily.

It was one of the things the Equality Movement really needed to address.

On this day, however, they were there early, as beautiful and bright-eyed as always but considerably more bored. As the most popular people in the school, it was their job to pass judgment on the others, and they were all keen to get a glimpse of their human transfer student.

“Honestly,” Danneel huffed, taking the opportunity to give her ring finger a fresh coat of nail varnish. “We’re paying for its education and giving it the opportunity to attend, the least it could do would be to turn up on time.”

The new kid had another half hour before classes started, but nobody even thought of saying so.

“He,” Jensen corrected, absentmindedly thinking about looking at the math homework he had been set. It might be good to at least know what questions he should have done, but he decided against it. He’d drive their teacher into an early grave if he actually handed something in, never mind it being on time. Really, Jensen was just being a good citizen.

“Hmm?” Danneel looked at him blankly.

“It’s a he,” Jensen said. “The new kid.”

“And I should care because?” Danneel said. “Damn it, Jensen, you’ve made me smudge it.” Katie handed over a nail varnish remover pad without a word. “Besides,” Danneel continued, dabbing at the offending spot. “It’d be better if it was a girl. We’re sadly short on good-looking girls here.”

“Not from where I’m sitting,” Chad said with a smirk.

Danneel threw him an irritated look. “Well, I can hardly make out with _myself_ , can I? Though if all human girls look like Genevieve Cortese, maybe it’s just as well it’s male.”

“Ventimiglia’s half human,” Chad said in an off-handed voice.

Danneel gave an unladylike snort. “The less said about _that_ the better. And as for Misha Collins… Honestly, Jensen, I really don’t understand –”

“That’s him,” Matt said suddenly, sitting up straight. “I would’ve noticed if I’d seen him around before.”

They all turned to look, and Jensen lost the ability to think.

The human was tall and slim, all narrow limbs and slender hips. He moved quickly, head down, but there was a sort of feline grace to his movements that made Jensen’s mouth turn dry. His hair was long and tousled, the strands silky and smooth, and his skin was almost ethereal in its beauty.

All in all, this was shaping up to be a good day.

“Those clothes are years and years out of fashion.” It was Danneel who broke the silence. She pursed her lips. “So out of fashion, in fact, that they might just be coming back in.”

“And its face structure isn’t bad,” Katie added. “If I didn’t know it was human, I’d say it was gorgeous.”

“Human or not,” Matt said languidly, “I bet he’d be good in the sack. Check out those legs.”

“My gaze is a little higher,” Chad said and they both laughed.

Someone else spoke, but the words passed Jensen by. He could hardly drag his gaze away. Every fiber of his being ached to move closer, to stand by the breathtaking creature before him. He could not remember ever feeling like this, but in that moment he could not remember the name of anyone he had ever been with.

“Jensen,” Danneel said impatiently and he glanced around, mind clouded with longing and confusion. In some deep recesses of his mind there lingered the unmistakable feeling that he knew this person.

“Hmm?” he mumbled. Everyone turned to stare at him and he forced himself to relax his limbs and school his features.

“Yeah, not bad. For a human Druid’s kid.”

Chad huffed. “I’d forgotten about that. Suddenly, I’m not so interested.”

“Think of the pay-off,” Matt said. “Seducing a virgin… that’s always good for a laugh. And Druids kids are _always_ virgins. Don’t they have some messed up rule about having to wait until marriage or something?”

“I think that’s only if they join the coven,” Katie said, but quickly fell silent. She never liked to seem too intelligent.

Danneel lowered her sunglasses, revealing a flash of amber. “What do you think, Jensen? Is it still good enough for you?”

Jensen faked a shrug. Feelings had never been part of their conquests, and they never would be. “Be easier to seduce if he was one of us. Smoking or not, I’m not sleeping with some Misha Collins like loser.”

Danneel looked pleased.

“So?” Jensen said, taking care not to sound hopeful. “What do you think? He in or what?”

There was a small, considering silence wherein everyone tried to look lost in thought but were really just watching Danneel. She finished outlining her lips – normally, Jensen’s eyes would have been glued to the sight, but today he found his gaze straying back to someone a little more male and a little less werewolf – and tossed her long coppery hair over her shoulder.

“We’ll try him out,” she said decisively. “Take him for a ride, so to speak.”

Chad snorted. “I know just what sort of _ride_ I’d like to take him for.”

*

Jared was finally given his I.D. papers back by the grumbling office woman. Whether it was the early start, the school setting or the presence of a human that was the cause of her bad mood Jared was uncertain, but he sensed it was best to keep quiet.

She laid his timetable flat on the desk and pushed it over to him, careful to avoid contact – as though humanity was a disease that could be caught. Jared gritted his teeth. One advantage of growing up in human schools was this sort of prejudice tended to be non-existent. Although the teachers taught Werewolf Studies according to the national curriculum and repeated the doctrine of their superiority, it was in a flat, ambivalent voice. Jared was used to this from the border checks and his weekend shift, but it was still a dismaying prospect to realize how frequent this would soon become.

The woman looked over Jared’s shoulder and visibly melted. “Oh! Jensen.”

“Hey,” a tall, handsome boy sauntered up to stand beside Jared. Next to him, Jared felt gangly and awkward, his charity shop clothes and Chris’ hand-me-downs in stark contrast to the other’s form-fitting, designer ones.

Jensen turned to Jared, and Jared felt his breath catch in his throat. Jared was not the sort to go for looks alone, but something in the boy’s glittering eyes held his attention.

Jensen stared at him for a few seconds and abruptly looked away. “This the new kid? I don’t mind showing him around.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “Are you sure you don’t mind, dear? This boy’s, well… it’s typically the job of the student body –”

“Them!” Jensen snorted and gave Jared a winning smile. “He doesn’t want to be landed with them. You’d much sooner come with us, wouldn’t you?” Without waiting for a response, he turned back. “That won’t a problem, will it?”

She shuffled a few papers and hummed before eventually nodding. “I shouldn’t think so. You could give him a tour before lessons start!”

“Sure,” Jensen said and Jared followed him out of the room, heart beating in his throat. He couldn't tell whether his excitement or anxiety was greater.

“So,” Jensen said, his voice honey-smooth. “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Padalecki,” Jared was used to having to say it several times. “Jared Padalecki.”

“Jensen Ackles. Captain of the football team, and all-round hottest guy in the school. Least until you showed up.”

Jared could not help his grin. There was no denying Jensen was good-looking – the arrogance was a little off-putting, it had to be said – but compared with _Jared_? Well, let’s just say Jared had long ago stopped comparing himself with others. It only depressed him.

“Are you sure you don’t mind showing me around?” Jared said, mainly to change the subject. “You probably have better things to do.”

Jensen gave him a surprisingly kind smile. “It isn’t any bother. I got lost every day at the start of my freshmen year. Seniors back then sucked, asking for directions was an engraved invitation to be sent to the wrong place. I like to think I’m a bit friendlier, even if I’m not on that stupid student body. Don’t go there, it’s full of losers.”

Jared had had many middle names at his last school, but it would be fair to say “loser” was a popular one.

“What have you got first?” Jensen asked.

Jared checked his timetable, despite having memorized it already. He was not going to be the depressingly intelligent and socially inadequate student at this school if he could help it. “Human Studies.”

“Yeah?” Jensen frowned. “Why are you taking Human Studies? You _know_ everything about being human.”

Jared went slightly pink. “Thought it would be interesting to hear about them from a non-human perspective.”

He waited for the ridicule, but Jensen just shrugged. “Is it room one one seven? Come on, it’s along here. I’m in that class too. Though I should tell you now about our school tradition.”

Jared arched an eyebrow.

“It’s pretty well known,” Jensen said. “You might have heard of it. I’m the hot football captain, you’re the blushing transfer student –”

“I am not blushing!” Jared said, ducking his head and willing the fire in his cheeks to cool.

Jensen shot him a look out of the corner of his eyes, smirking. “All right then. You’re the _cute_ transfer student. I’m obligated to buy you dinner.”

“Oh, really?” Jared said, pausing outside the closed door to his classroom.

“Yeah,” Jensen leaned against the wall, unabashedly skimming his gaze over Jared’s body. Jared felt none of the irritation he usually felt, to his annoyance. It was almost… thrilling to have someone like Jensen focusing so intensely on him. Not that Jared would admit to that, of course.

“I guess it would be bad to break school tradition then,” Jared said, hoping the slight waver in his voice was not as obvious to Jensen as it was to him.

Jensen’s gaze snapped to his face and he gave a wide smile. “No, you’d be cursed with bad luck for the rest of the year. Shall we say after school, tomorrow, coffee shop down the street?”

Jared had no doubt that, being a werewolf coffee shop, it would cost an arm and a leg but he had his savings from his summer job and, well. Jared had never really done the whole coffee date thing. No one at his last school would have been caught dead talking to him, besides…

Jared looked directly at Jensen and refused to think anymore about his ex boyfriend. “Sounds good.”

Jensen smiled, as though the outcome had never been in any doubt. “Come on, then. You can sit next to me and explain why humans do the crazy things they do. I mean, condemning homosexuality? What the fuck’s up with that?”

Jared, scarlet in the face, took a deep breath and followed Jensen into the class.

*

Misha Collins hurried into Human Studies, barely stifling his yawn. His printer had broken down the night before and he’d had to handwrite the all-important English essay that was due in today. As a result, he’d had barely any sleep the night before and Misha Collins was someone who liked his sleep very much.

Genevieve gave him a perky smile as he entered – it was unnatural for someone to look that awake in the morning, especially as he knew she didn’t use make-up the way the other girls (and some of the boys) did to disguise any flaws like under-eye shadows. Milo, however, looked even less awake than Misha did and barely managed a half-hearted wave before slumping onto his desk again. In comparison, Misha felt positively glowing with energy.

He took his seat in the middle of the class – three rows from the back and three from the front, four in from either side, which pleased the obsessive-compulsive side of his mind – and took out a pen and a notepad.

All in all, it was shaping up to be a very normal day.

“Have you heard?” Gen asked, turning round from her seat in front of him.

“Jensen and Danneel hooked up at a weekend party?” Misha guessed. Gen was not the type to gossip so he was at a slight loss as to why she was asking.

Gen rolled her eyes. “Urgh. So many mental images I did not want or need. And, really, Mish, like _that’s_ gonna happen. No, it’s the transfer student everyone’s been obsessing over for the last few days.”

Even Milo sat up straight at that, blinking sleep out of his hazel eyes. Milo could party like a werewolf but felt the hangover as keenly as a human, which made sense as Misha’s best friend since kindergarten was half-and-half. Misha wasn’t too worried about him, even though Milo was pale and gaunt. He’d have recovered by Friday, just in time for the next round of socializing.

“Is he arriving today?” Milo asked, voice thick with fatigue.

“Supposedly,” Gen said. “I can’t wait to see him, I’ve never met a Druid’s kid. Do you think he’s a Carrier?”

Misha blinked. “Why all the questions?”

Gen shrugged perkily. “I’m curious! My parents barely ever attend services but I’ve always wanted to know more about Druids. They always look so… serene. And their children are supposed to be _gorgeous_.”

“Bet that’s a rumor,” Milo mumbled, resting his head on his textbook. “Why are you so excited anyway? The transfer student’s male.”

Gen rolled her eyes. “But he might have a sister. Honestly, Mi, keep up.”

“What happened to not dating until after high school?” Misha said.

“My exact words were not dating until someone worthy came along,” Gen corrected. “Excuse me for not reckoning the chances of that occurring in _this_ school as being particularly high. But a Druid’s daughter? I could so go for that. Most Druids are supportive of werewolf-human equality, aren’t they?”

“The exact statistic’s seventy one per cent,” Milo said, not looking up. Misha was not a particularly jealous person but he did envy Milo’s photographic memory.

“I’d have to go to services, though, wouldn’t I?” Gen said. “Not so sure about that. I liked the sermons for the Goddess of the Hunt though…. the God of the Arts was a bit dull…”

“Not the Goddess of Love?” Misha raised a teasing eyebrow. “Would’ve thought that would be more your forte.”

“Ha ha, I don’t think. And that’s such a cliché that all women worship the Goddess of Love.”

“I didn’t say it was because you were female –”

“The God of Passion’s sermons were all right too,” Gen continued as though Misha had not spoken. “And the Deity of Harmony was always interesting. But, honestly, I found sermons with my parents kind of… boring as a kid. I hope this transfer student’s not going to be the type to force his opinions on people. I’m gonna hate him then, human or not.”

Misha rolled his eyes at her fondly. “Why don’t you wait until he arrives before passing judgment? He might not be that bad.”

“If he’s as cute as Gen thinks he will be, he’ll be worse,” Milo said. “You know Ackles and his crowd will add him to their ranks if that’s the case.”

Misha grimaced. Although he had been secretly looking forward to meeting the human intelligent enough to gain a place to the prestigious Eros Academy on a scholarship, he did not fancy meeting a human version of Jensen Ackles.

Gen watched him, her gaze suddenly turning a little knowing. “Is Sascha going to be joining us today?”

Misha was spared from having to answer by the arrival of their lecturer, Charles (the only teacher he had who not only allowed but encouraged them to call him by his first name). The class slowly began to fill up as the clock ticked closer to the start of another day in hell.

Misha loved lessons but hated his classmates. Particularly in this class, where every student was required to take a semester of it. Most students chose to put it off until their senior year and, as such, the class was swarmed with people Misha would not normally care to breathe air with.

Speak of the devil… Jensen Ackles sauntered in, an arrogant half-smile on his face, and Misha’s grip on his writing utensil tightened. He was so focused on glaring at his arch nemesis that for a moment he didn’t realize who was walking behind Jensen.

A ripple went around the class. Beside him, Milo finally stopped slouching. The student, skin glowing and eyes wide, gazed around the class for an awkward moment before Charles leaped to his feet and enthusiastically shook his hand. He introduced him as Jared Something – Misha didn’t catch the last name. He was a little distracted by the way the boy dipped his head, hair falling into his eyes as he gazed at the floor. The only two spare seats in the class were beside Misha and beside Jensen. The human – Jared – weaved his way lightly between the seats to sit down next to Jensen, all the while doing his best to avoid eye contact.

Misha rested his chin on his hands and surreptitiously watched the gorgeous new student out of the corner of his eye as Charles attempted to start the lesson.

Hmm. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a normal day after all.

*

“Don’t worry if it’s going over your head,” Jensen said, as they exited the second class of the day (calculus). “We do go at a ridiculously fast pace here. If you miss one lesson, you might as well miss the rest of the week and give yourself more time to catch up.”

Jared gave a small grin. “Thanks for letting me share your textbook.”

“No problem. I don’t mind tutoring you for some subjects either.”

“Really?” Jared turned to him with wide eyes. He had been worried about the work he would have missed, knowing the discipline enforced at non-human high schools enabled them to get through the curriculum much faster. “You would do that?”

Jensen paused and gazed at him curiously. “You say it like I’ve agreed to mate with you. It’s no big deal.”

Jared looked away, trying not to blush. In his world, interspecies… activities were regarded as secretive and shameful.

“Could you…” Jared hesitated. He was wary of becoming too friendly with Jensen. As much as he admired and respected the werewolves, he also knew placing his trust in them would result in either his limbs torn off or his neck marked – or worse. “Could you show me the way to room two one eight?”

Jensen took his timetable and squinted. “Seriously? The Equality elective?”

Jared looked directly at him. “Why not? My dad knows all about it, but it was never offered in my high school.”

“Oh, yeah. I’d forgotten your dad was so tolerant.”

“How could you forget?” Jared said, frowning. “I never told you.”

“Oh, there were all these rumors circulating before you started. You’re basically the most interesting thing to happen to us for several months.”

“Oh,” Jared couldn't think of anything else to say. “So, where’s this classroom?”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “Geek,” he said, but there was no bite in his voice. “It’s our break first though.”

“… Our break?” Jared liked Jensen and all, but there was no way he was cutting class: not on his first day, not ever.

“Yeah! It’s a new social experiment or some rubbish: the school’s signed up to see if we concentrate better if we get a fifteen-minute break every two lessons. It’s great, especially as my lunch break’s seventh, means we get ages – can catch up on sleep if it’s been a late night.”

Given that werewolves needed less sleep than humans to be able to function at the same level, Jared wondered just how late these nights were. “My school never did anything like that.”

Jensen wrinkled his nose. “Yeah, well, it’s just normal schools that take part, I think.”

“Normal? Non-human, then?”

“Werewolf,” Jensen corrected. “Non-human ain’t politically correct anymore, the governor said so.”

Jared hid his grimace of distaste. The governor was one of the few persons of any species who was regarded with undisguised hatred in his home.

“You going to the office then?” Jensen said after a few moments of awkward silence.

“Yeah, I should. I think I can –”

“I’ll take you,” Jensen said. “I’ll meet you outside at the end of the break. Knowing Gloria and them, they’ll take forever and a day just to get you to prove who you are.”

*

Jensen breezed into the male bathroom at the end of the corridor. It was deserted, as per usual, since it was so near to the office staff. Being one of the few places in school without security cameras made the bathrooms an ideal – if somewhat repellant – place for hook-ups and fights. The office staff may look permanently surprised to find themselves in a school, but not even they could not miss the sounds of a fight.

Then again, Jensen thought, smirking into the mirror as he dug out a mini tube of hair gel from his pocket, the hook-ups could get quite noisy too.

The door creaked several moments later. A shadow flickered at the edges of the mirror. Jensen half-turned and rolled his eyes in disgust.

“Is there anywhere I can go without the stench of loser following me? I’m starting to think you’re stalking me.”

“It’s amazing we can all fit in this school given the size of your ego,” Misha Collins, eyes flashing, took a step towards Jensen. “What are you doing, Jensen?”

Jensen arched an eyebrow. “This is called hair gel, Mish-Mish. If you’re very nice to me I might show you where you can buy it sometime. And if you’re very, very nice to me, I’ll introduce you to this amazing concept called personal grooming.”

“The word you’re looking for is vanity. What are you doing with the new kid?”

“It’s more like what I’m not doing,” Jensen said with an exaggerated sigh. “Have you seen his ass? You could bounce a quarter off that damn thing. Not that a freak like you would understand something like that.”

Misha folded his arms, glaring. “What I don’t understand is why you’re being so nice to him. Milo said you actually offered to tutor him to bring him up to speed in all the subjects he’s behind with.”

“See, it’s comments like that that make me think you must fancy me. Haven’t you got anything else to discuss with your fellow crowd of freaks? The idea of fashion, for example?”

“Why are you being nice to him? What’s the point? Don’t tell me the great Jensen Ackles actually has feelings for someone.”

Jensen snorted and twisted his fingers to put the finishing touches to his hair do. “I don’t expect someone like you to understand, but I’ve gotten… bored recently. I need something to distract me, something I can… work on. Jared’s a pretty damn fine distraction, don’t you think? Not to mention how good he’d look working on my dick.”

Misha’s gaze turned stony. “You’re disgusting.”

“Relax, I know I need to be gentle with him. A virginal Druid’s kid? God, I’d sleep with him even if he wasn’t so easy on the eyes. It’ll be a good laugh for a month or so, though. Wining and dining him, taking it slow… it’ll make the pay-off that much sweeter.”

“And what happens then?”

“Hmm?” Jensen looked at him blankly. “Well, then he’s no longer a virgin, my work here is done, and I’ll go find another hot virgin.”

Misha huffed, glancing away angrily. “Just leave him alone, Jensen.”

“Oh?” Jensen spun round, eyes brightening in interest. “Why, Mish-Mish? Could it be my favorite little dweeb has realized there’s a life outside of computer games and bad hairstyles?”

Several moments passed in silence. Jensen inhaled sharply.

“You _do_ like him. Wow.” He laughed. “And without even having spoken to him, that truly is pathetic.”

Misha glared. “Oh please. I bet you can’t even give the surnames of half the people you’ve slept with.”

“What use are their surnames? It’s not like I’m planning on marrying them. I do, however, at least know what their voice sounds like when they say my name.”

“If he’s as… virginal as you say he is, he won’t want to sleep with you anyway.”

“Oh, I know he’s a virgin. You can smell it on him.” Jensen took a step forwards Misha, running his tongue over his lips slowly. “It’s delicious. It’ll be even better in a month when he smells like me. You should try to at least stand in the same room as him before then. You’ll regret not knowing what an untouched piece of meat smells like.”

“A human is not a piece of meat, you asshole.”

Jensen shrugged. “Details, details. Mark my words, though. He’ll be mine by the end of the month.”

*

“Oh, look,” it was the pretty blonde girl who spoke with a cold smile. Jared couldn't remember whether her name was Katie or Kate as he stood awkwardly with Jensen and his friends in the middle of the courtyard. “The freak circus is in town.”

Jared frowned and twisted round to follow her gaze. To his surprise, he instantly recognized one of the group – it was the blue eyed boy from his Human Studies class, the one Jared had caught himself staring at on more than one occasion. He was joined by two other people, a male and female, and not one of them glanced in their direction. In fact, it was like they were making an effort to avoid eye contact.

“You know them?” Jared said in interest.

Jensen darted a quick look at him that Jared could not decipher. “Everyone knows them,” he said finally.

“They’re like the opposite of us,” Chad said, leaning forward. “Equally famous but for all the wrong reasons. I mean, that girl’s skirt is so long it nearly covers her knees!”

Danneel laughed lightly. “Don’t be mean, Chad. Genevieve’s always known to cover her worst assets. We can’t all have slender thighs.”

As far as Jared could see, Genevieve was perfectly slender, her waist highlighted in her clingy tank top and a denim jacket slung neatly over her shoulders. She turned to the boy next to her, the non blue-eyed one, and said something that made him laugh and sling an arm around her shoulders.

Jared glanced away quickly. Their easy intimacy and obvious affection was too painful to watch, knowing his own relationship (even in a non romantic sense) had been like that not too long ago.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

“Genevieve Cortese’s the one on the right,” Jensen explained. “The guy who’s draped over her is Milo Ventimiglia, even though he hasn’t got a snowball’s chance in hell. She doesn’t bat for his team. Shame, really, cause they deserve each other. She’s human, albeit a rich one, and he’s a half-breed.” Jensen caught his eye. “Half-werewolf, half-human.”

Jared nodded, though he knew perfectly well what the description meant. Werewolf Studies were part of the curriculum in every year of a human school.

“Basically means she could do a hell of a lot better,” Chad said.

“How?” Katie said. “She either has a half-breed with a mother dumb enough to mate with a _human_ , or a werewolf male from a non-pure lineage… though I suppose –”

“It’s non-pure,” Danneel said firmly, smoothing lip-gloss over her bottom lip. “There are clearly dozens of humans nesting in his family. Besides, his mother ran off at the first opportunity, so she and his father were clearly just slutting it up together.”

“Whatever,” Jensen said, voice oddly brusque. “Basically, even if Gen… Genevieve was that way inclined, her options are shit.”

In the ensuing silence, Jared took the opportunity to study Genevieve and the boy who wasn’t Milo. Genevieve was undeniably fascinating, and not just because she was human – her clothes, black and purple, reminded him of Sandy and something about her aloof expression intrigued him. But it was the boy who held Jared’s attention.

“What about him?” Jared said quietly. He knew the others would be able to hear him perfectly but it was hard to break the human habit.

“Misha?” Jensen snorted. “Trust me, you don’t want to waste your time on him.”

“You want to avoid all of them,” Katie said with a kind smile. “But it’s him you really want to avoid. His parents are _both_ werewolves and he still manages to be a total freak. I’m always worried standing near him will, like, infect me by osmosis or whatever.”

Danneel rolled her eyes. “I’ve told you before you can’t _catch_ loser. You either have it or you don’t.” She looked straight at Jared. “Usually it’s obvious who’s infected, but sometimes it takes longer to tell.”

Jared smiled sweetly. In his experience, it was the best way to unnerve someone.

“Don’t you losers have anywhere else to go?” Matt called across the courtyard. As one, the group stiffened and glanced round.

“Haven’t _you_ got anywhere better to be?” Genevieve called back, several silver necklaces looped round her neck in plain view. Jared’s eyes widened slightly. He was used to covering up his protection, hiding the fact he was human and therefore weak. “Attempting to get a date for the ball, for example?”

Matt reddened slightly and Jared did his best to look impassive.

“Why, Cortese?” Katie said. “Your parents blackmailed some poor soul into going with you? Or have they finally accepted you’ll never get a werewolf into your bed willingly?”

Genevieve just raised her eyebrows and turned her back, her posture relaxed. Milo, however, was glaring as though it was possible to light someone on fire through eye contact alone.

“That’s the only way you’re going to get someone!” he called. “No one in their right mind would go with you…. Though I suppose that leaves most of the school.”

Danneel straightened up, flicking out her cigarette. “Okay,” she said, voice soft and almost gentle. “I think it’s time for the losers to leave.”

“Wouldn’t want to corrupt your pure werewolf air,” Milo said scornfully, sliding an arm round Genevieve’s waist and gently tugging her away.

“You corrupt it by existing,” Matt said. “Has your mom found a cure yet? Or has she realized the only way to cure things like you is through the lottery?”

Jared stiffened. The lottery, the system designed to satisfy the werewolf desire to hunt and to rid the world of human ‘undesirables’ (the poor, the criminal, the handicapped…), was not something to be discussed lightly. In that instant, Jared hated Matt for so casually referencing the feeding system that had torn his family apart.

“Oh by the Goddess,” Jensen muttered, and seized Jared’s hand before dragging him over to a nearby corner. “Sorry, it does my head in when they start that up.”

Jared’s eyes brightened. “Oh, I thought it was just me, why do you –”

“Definitely not you. Everyone in school hates those freaks. If there was a way to have them exiled I’d do it in a heartbeat. Hell, I’d settle for lighting Collins on fire.”

Jared faltered. As far as he remembered, none of Jensen’s friends had that surname. Jensen had yet to let go of his hand, though.

Jensen smiled at him, rolling his eyes as the vague snatches of conversation drifted over. Jared could make out nothing concrete but it was mainly Danneel’s voice that he heard.

“Anyway,” Jensen said. “How you liking the school so far?”

They made vague conversation for a few moments, Jared straining to hear what was being said and trying not to get lost in Jensen’s eyes, even as his opinion of Jensen gradually plummeted.

“… just because the human enlightenment was something that happened to other people!”

Jensen made a noise of frustration. “Look,” he said, pivoting round. “Can you guys just clear off? Nobody wants you here. Why don’t you do us all a favor and go find some people who actually want to be friends with you, rather than just sticking together for convenience. Okay? I have company.”

The combined gazes of Misha, Milo and Genevieve flickered to Jared. Instead of contempt, though, all he read was curiosity and a flash of interest from Misha that Jared was convinced he must have imagined.

It took a while for him to place Jensen’s tone. It was exactly the same as his ex-boyfriend in the final few weeks of their relationship. Exactly the same.

*

“There you are,” Jensen said, appearing by his side when Jared exited his last class before lunch. “I’ll take you to the canteen, I wouldn’t want anyone to mistake you for the food.”

Jared forced a laugh, all the while cursing under his breath. He had been hoping to avoid Jensen for the rest of the day.

Jared had to admit, as they walked to the dining area, he was mostly tuning out Jensen’s words, but he came back to life when a certain name was mentioned.

“… So, anyway, you looked kind of interested in Misha Collins.”

“I did?” Jared could feel himself turning red. He never was subtle when he liked someone, to Chris and Sandy’s great amusement.

Jensen took one look at him and snorted. “Oh, thank the Goddess. I thought for one moment you were actually interested. It’s a relief to know you find the prospect as hideous as I do.”

“So, uh, you two know each other well?” Jared said tentatively. He watched curiously as Jensen piled the plate high with food that was undeniably preferred by humans. Given that Jensen was so fond of his pure lineage, it seemed strange he’d ‘lower’ himself to eat predominantly human food.

“You could say that,” Jensen said, smirking. “There’s a funny story there, actually… I’ll tell you about it sometime. But trust me, you need to avoid him. In fact, just avoid the other two as well. They’ve always been a bit weird, but ever since the three of them formed their little gang it’s been so much worse. They think they’re so much better than everyone else, and they’re not. Grades don’t mean that much in the real world, and they’re gonna find that out when they leave here. I’d almost feel sorry for the big shock they’re going to get, only I don’t see why I should be nice to them. I’m a good person, but I’m not that good. Here,” he shoved the tray into Jared’s hands without a second glance. “Everyone here knows you’re on a scholarship, you can probably just take that straight to the table.”

Jared blinked, staring down at all the foods he couldn’t eat – the meat was out, Jared was a strict vegetarian; the donut was out, he wasn’t meant to have a lot of sugar; the energy drink was out for the same reason… He shifted awkwardly, the shape of his packed lunch in his bag banging against his hip.

“Thanks,” he said, slightly feebly, and Jensen didn't even pretend to be listening.

Trailing after Jensen as he moved towards ‘the’ table, Jared was struck by the realization of just how deeply he did not want to sit with them. He reminded himself he should be glad people were being nice to him at all, he could not afford to be picky, but his heart stubbornly rebelled, insisting on being as far away as possible.

Jensen turned to him. “You gonna sit down?” It wasn’t really a question.

“Actually,” Jared said carefully. Danneel’s gaze turned sharp. “I was thinking of eating outside today.”

Jensen blinked. “But we always eat inside.”

“Oh, well then, no reason to break with tradition,” Jared said, taking a step back. “You guys can stay here and I’ll go –”

“Jared –” Jensen said with clear bewilderment, but the sudden shout of his name by a tall, muscular boy with wild curly black hair distracted him for a few crucial seconds and Jared saw his opportunity and grabbed it.

Several minutes later, his ‘bought’ lunch foisted off on a young freshmen who looked particularly woebegone, Jared sat under the shady branches of a large oak tree and dug out the book he was currently reading, _Foreshadows of Love and Sorrow_ – Jared was not normally the type for romances, but it was one of the first werewolf/human romances of the same-sex published for a mainstream audience.

Reading and studying, he reflected, were easy. It was the social situations that Jared really wished were offered as a major.

*

“And that’s when –” Milo broke off. “Misha, are you even listening to a word I’m saying?”

“Yes,” Misha said, eyes still fixed on the figure in the distance.

“What did I just say?”

Misha looked round, eyes vague. “You asked me if I was listening to you.”

Milo rolled his eyes and Genevieve dug her elbow into Misha’s side.

“You know,” she said, eyes glittering, “you could just go over and talk to him, especially now that Jensen’s not all draped over him.”

Misha went pink and buried himself in his sandwich. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” he mumbled.

Genevieve gave a theatrical sigh. “That’s a shame. I guess I’ll just need to talk about the cute new kid with Milo instead then. Which is a pity, since I’m quite sure you know more about _Jared_ than he does.”

“Considering you couldn’t take your eyes off him in Human Studies…” Milo said with a small smirk. “In fact, considering you can’t take your eyes off him _now_ …”

“What is this, international Gang Up On Misha today? You go talk to him if you’re so fascinated.”

Genevieve stood up. “Maybe I will. He must be dying for a decent conversation by now.”

Misha watched her stride across the grass, eyes narrowing. “She is _not_ serious.”

*

“Hey.”

Jared looked up into the sunshine, squinting. His stomach dropped when he realized it was the girl from earlier – Genevieve. He felt like squirming, ashamed at seeing what had happened earlier and not putting a stop to it.

“Hey,” he echoed, somewhat feebly. “It’s Genevieve, right?”

“My reputation proceeds me.” She did not smile, but her eyes sparkled. “I’m impressed, by the way. The Wolf Elite don’t get a whole lot of rejections.”

“The Wolf… oh,” Jared half-smiled, half-shrugged. He briefly considered saying something tactful but decided against it. “Their attitude sucks.”

If possible, her eyes became even brighter. “I’ve been saying that for years. Maybe by the time we all graduate, it will have caught on.” She sank down gracefully onto the grass beside him, wrapping her jacket more tightly around her small frame. “So any werewolf blood in your family?”

Jared blinked. “Uh, no.”

“Not a drop?”

He found himself smiling. “Not a drop.”

“Not a drop in mine either,” she leaned forward, as though confiding a great secret. “Though my mother is determined to change this. She’s even trying to persuade the Cohens to have Matt ‘escort’ me to the ball. And she offered to throw me a party when Alona and I split up, just because she was a half-breed.” Genevieve rolled her eyes in disgust and then smiled at him. “Are you seeing anyone?”

Jared stared, but he had yet to feel annoyed. “… No.”

“Were you seeing someone?”

His gaze dropped to his lap and he swallowed. “Yes, I was. We were together for a year and a half.”

“Wow, that’s a heck of a long time. You’re… sixteen? Seventeen?”

“Seventeen.”

“You must have really liked them,” Genevieve looked thoughtful. “Are people nicer in human high schools? I always wanted to go to one, but my parents wouldn’t consider it. I think they believe they can will me into being a non-human if they just try hard enough.”

Her tone was light, carefree, but Jared winced. He couldn't imagine growing up in a household where what he did and who he was wasn’t good enough. If there was one lesson his parents taught, it was that no one ever had the right to make you feel inferior – family member or not.

“I didn’t like it that much,” Jared confessed. He was momentarily surprised. Normally he was never as blunt as that. “But my cousin liked it when she was there.”

“How old’s your cousin?”

“Twenty-one next month.”

“Aww, I was hoping for a little younger,” Genevieve sat back on her heels and looked thoughtful. “You in a female form would be gorgeous.”

Jared choked, cheeks flooding with heat. “I –”

“Genevieve!”

Genevieve shaded her eyes against the sunlight and twisted around to see Misha, a golden edge around his silhouette.

“This is Misha,” she said to Jared. “He likes to tell me off. He’s really a bully.”

Misha shook his head at her, the affection clear. “I’m sure… Jared has better things to do with his time than listen to you. And I could tell from back there you were giving him the third degree.”

Genevieve batted her eyelashes, looking hurt. “Moi?”

“Toi,” Misha responded without missing a beat. “Come on, back off.” His eyes kept straying to Jared, and Jared found himself staring back.

Genevieve glanced between them, a smirk tugging at the edges of her mouth. “You should come with us, Jared. Now that you’ve rejected the Wolf Elite, you’ve basically made enemies for life, and we’re your best bet for allies.”

Jared raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t realize I was getting caught up in gang warfare.”

“Oh yes,” Genevieve said cheerfully. “Luckily for you we have a soft spot for humans with dimples, so we won’t give you an impossible initiation task.”

Misha and Jared’s gazes met again, something sparking between them. Misha rolled his eyes. “Ignore her, we don’t do initiations.”

“We do so! You have to sit with us for today and tell us if you hate us on sight. We’ll have to kill you then, of course, but just so you know.”

“Of course,” Jared agreed, fighting back his smile. “If that’s the case…”

“Jared!”

His stomach sank in dismay. Jared looked up, although he would recognize Danneel’s voice anywhere.

The redhead was accompanied by Katie, arm in arm, and she was heading straight for them. Jared took a moment to be thankful Jensen was not with her.

“There you are,” Danneel paused before him, her gaze focused on him and him alone. She wrinkled her nose prettily. “I don’t see what’s so great about sitting outdoors. It’s stupidly sunny today,” she sighed and adjusted her sunglasses. “Plus the company’s a little… lacking. Do you want me to get rid of them for you?”

“What are you, the grass inspector?” Genevieve said.

Danneel blanked her entirely.

Jared gave her a bright smile. “Actually, I’m fine,” he said firmly. “I like their company.”

Katie stared at him, open-mouthed. Danneel’s expression did not flicker.

“I don’t think you understand,” she said finally. “There are two types of people in this high school. There are those at the top of the social hierarchy, and there are those who don’t even make the bottom rung. As a human, I really don’t think you want to be in that position.”

“As a human,” Jared said, straining to keep his voice polite, “I really don’t think I want to hang out with one group who hates my kind so much.”

“We don’t hate your kind,” Katie said huffily, but Danneel silenced her with one raised hand.

“Is that your choice then? We don’t make these offers twice. We don’t even make them in general. I can guarantee this’ll be the moment you look back on and wish you’d chosen correctly.”

Jared smiled and leaned back against the tree. “Haven’t you got a social hierarchy to be perched on top of?”

“I like you,” Genevieve said, after the other two had swanned off. “In fact, I like you so much I might just make an exception to the initiation rule. Come meet Milo.”

“That’s nice of you,” Jared said, slowly gathering up his stuff and regretfully thinking over his earlier vow not to get involved in high school drama.

“She’s all heart,” Misha agreed, reaching out a hand to help Jared to his feet. Jared took it tentatively, admiring the relative ease with which Misha helped him up. Of course, werewolves were always strong, and Misha was not exactly a beanpole, but there was still something impressive about it.

Of course, there were a lot of things non-humans like Misha could do to humans like Jared that were also… impressive, and Jared ducked his head and hoped neither of them could read minds.

“Thanks for the hand up, guys,” Genevieve huffed, grinning wickedly when they both blushed.

As the end of lunch grew near, Jared found himself glad he had left Jensen – good-looking as he was, there was something much more peaceful about sitting with Misha, Genevieve and Milo. Misha wasn’t exactly unattractive either, but Jared was determined not to go there. Things never ended well when Jared fell for a guy’s looks first and his personality second. This time, he was going to do it the other way around, and he most certainly was not going to do it with someone he had just met and who seemed like a potential friend.

“You do know you’ve made enemies for life, though, right?” Genevieve was saying. “They don’t respond well to rejection.”

Jared fished out his timetable from his bag, double-checking he knew what his last class of the day was. “I’m sure they’ll be able to cope. I am only human, after all.”

Milo and Genevieve both grinned. Although Jared wasn’t going to base his opinion of either of them on the fact they both had human blood, it was comforting to meet people who were at least a little similar to him.

“Human or not, they’ll never forgive you. They’re like the Soviet Secret Police,” Genevieve said.

Jared blinked.

“If the Soviet Secret Police cared about hair gel and shoes and backstabbing,” Milo added. “Trust me, you’re better off without them. We all wondered how long it would take for you to – ow!”

Genevieve gave him a scolding look. “I’m sure Jared’s heard enough about people discussing him behind his back,” she said severely.

Jared checked his timetable again. The school office had been vague when he had called the week before, only able to tell him he would not have physical education on a Monday. He was pleased to see he had a study period in the last lesson of the day, but at the same time uncertain.

“With study periods,” he said, “do we have to report to a certain room or can we go wherever? At my old school people who lived nearby tended to just go home.”

“Don’t do that,” Milo said quickly. “Seriously, they’ll go nuts if they see you walking out early. Wait till the bell and you’re free to go.”

“Huh,” Jared frowned down at his timetable. “So, any room not being used then?”

“The canteen’s normally pretty quiet,” Genevieve offered. “You could try there.”

“Okay,” Jared said, stowing his timetable away and tilting his head back to soak in the warm sunshine. For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly felt as though a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

“I have eighth free,” Misha said suddenly. “I usually spend it in the library though.”

Milo rolled his eyes affectionately. “Misha lives in the library. It’s amazing they haven’t started charging him rent.”

Jared’s eyes lit up. If there was one thing he missed about his old town, it was the huge library that catered to members of both species.

“The library sounds great,” he said shyly, and Misha’s answering smile made the sun dimmer.

*

“Where is it you moved from again?” Misha asked. He had several hefty tomes stacked on the desk before him, but he seemed more interested in Jared.

“State College, Pennsylvania,” Jared said, typing out a sum on his calculator. He had a week to complete the homework but, with his weekend job, he knew he would be better getting it out of the way as soon as possible.

“Really? You don’t sound it.”

Jared glanced up and smiled. “I’ve been there since I was thirteen, but my family’s originally from San Antonio. We left there when I was about six and we’ve been up and down the country since then. My brother’s worse though, he’d been in eight different states by the time he was six.”

“Huh,” Misha said, but there was only interest in his voice. “He older then?”

“Much,” Jared said. “Practically on his deathbed in fact, only he wrestled in high school so I tend not to tell him this.”

“Wise move,” Misha agreed. “You have any other siblings?”

“I have an unofficial twin.”

“Ooh, do tell.”

Jared smiled. “My cousin Sandy’s lived with us for as long as we can remember. We’re only a few years apart and she’s always looked young for her age, so we used to pretend to be twins. It worked better before she got short, though.”

Misha laughed. “You sure it was her who got short?”

“Don’t you start. She’s always trying to persuade me to take up smoking so it’ll stunt my growth. How about you?” Jared was keen to avoid the topic of why Sandy lived with them and not her own parents, but part of him was genuinely curious.

“Oh,” Misha checked the contents page in his first textbook and flipped to the last chapter. “My mom left when I was pretty young, so I live with my dad. He remarried a while ago.”

Jared nodded silently and switched the conversation to algebraic equations.

“… and that’s how you multiply matrices,” Misha finished saying.

Jared glanced up at him with a smile. Over the course of the afternoon, Misha had moved steadily closer, until their elbows were brushing and their eyes met with every small glance.

“Wow. That’s… not simple but better than I thought it was.”

“I can’t believe you can ace all this stuff,” Misha waved an airy hand at the notes spread out before him, “and yet relatively simple things like that really puzzle you.”

Jared bit his lip and stared down at his textbook. “Yeah, well. Thank you for your help.”

“Hey,” Misha touched his arm gently, the warmth of his skin searing through Jared’s thin shirt. “It wasn’t a criticism. I like enigmas.”

Jared glanced at him from under his hair. “I’m not that enigmatic.”

Misha’s eyes were rapidly becoming the focal point of Jared’s world. “Yeah, you are.”

They stared at one another for one long, long moment before the elegant chimes of the bell startled them apart.

Jared gathered up his papers hurriedly, silently cursing himself. He barely knew Misha. Way to disprove the theory that humans could not form meaningful connections. If he’d managed to isolate the only two guys who had interested him ever since –

“You need to get home quickly then?”

“I’m meeting my cousin,” Jared explained, darting a quick glance at Misha. “She’ll get ratty if I’m late.”

Misha nodded, gathering up his own things much more slowly. “If you need anymore tutoring,” he said, not looking at Jared, “I’ll volunteer. I won’t even charge you that much.”

“Oh yeah?” Jared leaned his hip against the desk. “What’s the going rate?”

“Hmm,” Misha looked at him thoughtfully. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

Jared rolled his eyes, barely restraining his smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow for Human Studies. The seat next to me’s empty, in case you feel like migrating.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

Jared strolled out of the library, euphoria putting a bounce to his step. The school day was finally over, he could go home, and if he happened to be thinking a little too much about a certain pair of blue eyes –

“Jared!”

The all-too-familiar voice made Jared wince to himself and slowly turn around.

“There you are,” Jensen said brightly. He wrinkled his nose. “Were you in the _library_?”

“Well, ye –”

“Don’t worry, I won’t hold it against you.” Jensen ran a hand carefully over the top of his head and smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow. I’ll meet you outside your last class.”

Jared took a deep breath. Even as Jensen’s earlier taunts rang in his ears, he found himself wishing he was anywhere but here. “Actually, I’m really sorry but I’ve just remembered I’ve got this family thing –”

“Great!” Jensen said, digging out his cell phone and beginning to type. “I’m in the south building but I’ll leave a few minutes early. Are your parents the weird sort that want you home at an exact time?”

Jared froze. Irrational as he felt, he kept seeing Tom Welling in his mind’s eye: his kind smile but increasingly distant eyes, Jared’s words encountering a brick wall of refusal, until even the smile vanished and all there was left was the look of a cornered, hungry animal.

“Jensen, I can’t,” he said as firmly as he could. “I –”

Jensen finally looked up at him, eyes cold. “What was that?”

“I know it’s an amazing concept, Jensen,” Jensen and Jared turned as one to find Misha, his arms full of books and his gaze steely, “but not everyone in here is desperate to get a date with you. Leave him alone, he isn’t interested.”

“Well, you’d know all about not being interested, wouldn’t you, Misha,” Jensen said. “How long were you and Julie together again? Three months? Four? And yet it came as a total surprise when she set her sights a little… higher than some pathetic loser whose idea of passionate is a kiss on the cheek.”

Misha did not blink. “As fun as it is to reminisce over our shared conquests –”

“Oh, they weren’t shared,” Jensen snapped. “No one in their right mind would have you when they could have me. Speaking of which, how’s Sascha?”

Misha’s lips thinned. “Regardless, Jared doesn’t want a date with you, so leave.”

“You added telekinesis to your oh-so impressive list of skills now?”

“The word you’re looking for is _telepathy_ and it’s glaringly obvious –”

“Guys!” Jared had been watching the proceedings open-mouthed, but he finally found his voice. They both switched their gazes to him with startling speed, Jensen starting slightly as though he had forgotten Jared was even there.

Jared sighed. He hated doing this, but he hated the idea of dating Jensen even more. “Jensen, I’m flattered, but I don’t want to date you.” He briefly toyed with the idea of apologizing but decided Jensen did not need the encouragement.

Jensen’s eyes narrowed. “Are you seeing someone else?”

“Yes,” Jared started to say, delighted with the perfect excuse, and then took a deep breath. Maybe if he had been honest with Tom from the moment their relationship began to turn sour, everything would have been different. “No.” He did not look at Misha, wishing he could have told Jensen this somewhere a little more private. “I just don’t like the person you are when you’re with your friends.”

Jensen looked incredulous and Jared pushed on, eager to get this over with quickly.

“I liked you at first, okay, but I’ve been down the road with someone like you and I just can’t do it again. I’m sorry, but –” Jared forced himself to stop talking, knowing he would ramble until the day turned to dark if given half a chance.

“Someone like me?” Jensen repeated, and Jared wished he would just leave. Jensen folded his arms. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

There was no hurt or confusion in his voice, just cold arrogance. Suddenly, Jared found himself getting angry.

“I’m not interested in being with someone who’s so rude to others,” he said flatly. “My ex was exactly the same, always passing judgment on a group that was supposedly inferior. Maybe you should have thought of that before you decided to seduce the poor, innocent Druid’s kid.”

Misha made a soft noise of amusement and the glare Jensen turned on him could have roasted him alive.

“Some groups are inferior,” Jensen said to Jared, his face as difficult to read as an empty book. “Humans, for example. Humans who have a good thing and toss it away because of their stupidity.”

Jared’s eyes narrowed but he said nothing.

“And as for you…” Jensen said to Misha.

“Last time I checked, werewolves all had the same rights regardless of how ‘pure’ our lineage is,” Misha said sweetly.

“You know the great thing about being a freak? It’s not related to your birth species,” Jensen said. “Tell that to the Equality Movement.” He took a step toward Jared and Misha straightened up.

“I don’t know what game this is, but I’m enjoying the chase. Just know I _will_ win. You’re gonna regret wasting your time on that,” Jensen jerked his head towards Misha, “but I’ll accept your apology when the time comes. If you do it from your knees.”

“Get over yourself, Jensen,” Jared said quietly, and Jensen didn't spare him a further glance as he stormed down the corridor and out of sight.

Sighing, Jared sagged against the wall and groaned. Great. The perfect end to his first day.

“Hey,” Misha’s warm touch on his arm startled Jared out of his reverie, Misha withdrawing far too quickly for Jared’s liking. “If it’s any comfort, you’ve been promoted to permanent hero status in my eyes.”

Despite his low mood, Jared found himself grinning. “Glad I could be of service.”

Misha grinned back and Jared fell into step with him as they went in the opposite direction from Jensen.

“Seriously,” Misha said, shoulder brushing against Jared’s. “Don’t worry about Jensen. He’ll find someone new to bother and he’ll soon forget all about you. It’s nothing personal, it’s just the way he works. I think he needs the constant proof people want him to make up for the fact his mother left when he was young and his father remarried a good few years ago.”

Jared blinked. “You know a lot about him.”

“Kinda hard not to, to tell you the truth,” Misha hesitated. For the first time, his expression seemed to falter. “Considering the fact we’re stepbrothers.”

*

  


  
Chapter Two   


For a moment, Jared couldn’t speak at all.

“ _Stepbrothers_?” he managed finally.

Misha gave him an overly bright smile. “Funny how that’s the way everyone reacts. It’s not like stepsiblings have to look alike, I really don’t know what all the confusion is about.”

“But the way he treats you –”

“And how are stepbrothers supposed to treat each other?” Misha said, with a cute half-smile and raised eyebrows. “All siblings fight, we’re no different. And I’m not some shrinking violet, you should have seen his face when I put hair dye in his shampoo.”

Jared was quiet for a long moment, thinking about this.

Misha suddenly halted, forcing Jared to stop too. Misha looked at him with wide blue eyes. “Is it too late to give you the speech about how you can’t choose your family members?”

Jared laughed, the tension between them dissipating. “I was just surprised. You have to admit, you kept pretty quiet about it. I told you about my siblings – and don’t say Jensen isn’t your proper sibling, because Sandy isn’t really mine either.”

Misha shrugged. “I didn’t want to put you off,” he said softly. “Most people who find out we’re related – sort of – instantly feel the need to compare us. And that’s the one thing Jensen and I both agree on. We’re not brothers, we’re not siblings in all but blood. We just happen to be two people who live under the same roof because our fathers fell head over heels for each other. We’re still separate –” Misha noticed Jared’s slight jerk of surprise. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, seriously, what?”

“It’s just,” Jared chewed on his bottom lip. “Parents of the same sex aren’t really common in the human world. You surprised me,” he noticed the slight tightening of Misha’s face and hastened to add, “in a good way.”

Misha tilted his head to the side. “In a good way?”

“… It’s nice to hear. It’s nice to know that there _are_ people out there who don’t care about gender. My old neighborhood… well, let’s just say there weren’t a whole lot of them.”

“I never understood that about humans.” Somehow, Misha had gotten a lot closer to Jared without him realizing. “It just seems so… limiting. It’s hard enough to find your soul mate without striking out half the population.” He grinned. “Oh, I forgot. Humans don’t do soul mates, right?”

“Some do,” Jared protested. “My dad tells my mom she’s his soul mate. But only when he’s drunk on happiness and he thinks we can’t hear.”

Misha shot him an interested look. “So no one drinks in your house then?”

“My parents don’t. My brother and his husband do, sometimes, but then they do run a bar. And Sandy doesn’t like the taste. We’re not really strict; my dad never forced his beliefs on us. Chris goes along to his sermons even though he thinks he might be an atheist, and no one has an issue with that.”

“Your dad sounds nice…” Misha said, almost wistfully.

“What’s your family like?” Jared said, wondering if he was being too intrusive.

Misha’s eyes were difficult to read. “We’re okay. My dad and Sebastian got married when Jensen and I were seven, so we’ve lived together for longer than we’ve lived apart. It doesn’t mean we like each other. Sebastian’s okay, though.” Misha visibly shook off the tension and gave him a sunny smile. “Do you need a lift home?”

For a moment, captured by the joy of Misha’s eyes, Jared nearly said yes. But he could not accept favors he couldn’t return, particularly not from a non-human, and he had a sneaking suspicion that even Misha would bolt if he saw Jared’s neighborhood.

“No. Thank you.”

Misha nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.” The words held a hint of a question, as though Jared might not return after years of dreaming of this. Or as though Jared might decide Jensen and his clique were worthwhile after all.

“Definitely,” Jared said with a smile.

*

The next day, Jensen was waiting for him by his locker, gazing into the distance as though he had never had a worry in his life. He straightened up when Jared appeared and gave him a smile that had butterflies breaking out in Jared’s stomach, no matter what his personal opinion of the werewolf was.

“So we kind of got off on the wrong foot yesterday,” Jensen said without preamble.

“Really?” Jared said flatly, taking out his textbooks for the morning classes, neither of which was close to his locker. “I can’t think what gave you that impression.”

Jensen continued as though Jared had not spoken. “I think we should start over. I promise not to hit on you until at least third period.”

Jared slammed his locker shut with more force than necessary and narrowed his eyes at Jensen. “You never told me Misha was your stepbrother.”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “I was going to. It just… never seemed like a good time? I mean, would you want to admit you were related to him?”

“My big brother was the school bully at most of his high schools,” Jared told him. “My parents came _this close_ to just washing their hands of him and all the fights he started. Then he met his husband and went back to being my brother. And you know what? Even then I didn’t deny being related to him. Chris was a total jerk, to me and to everyone else, but he was still my brother. Don’t you dare talk to me about not wanting to admit you’re related to someone.”

Jensen raised an eyebrow, still smiling the same irritating smile. “Touched a nerve?”

“Oh screw you, Jensen,” Jared tossed out, turning his back and moving towards his first class.

Jensen’s low, rumbling chuckle echoed behind him. “Oh, you wish, Padalecki. You wish.”

After double-checking the school map, Jared stepped into his Human Studies class, feeling rather pleased he had managed to find the way himself. He’d remembered half-way there that, unfortunately, he shared this class with Jensen, but he also shared it with Misha.

Look at the glass half full, as Sandy liked to say.

Jared’s gaze skimmed the room, pausing when he caught sight of a head of dark hair in the corner. Misha was standing by the windowsill, close to a striking blond boy Jared had not met yet.

Very close.

“Oh,” a silky voice said close to his ear. Jared didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. “You haven’t met Sascha yet, have you? C’mon, I’ll introduce you.”

“That’s okay –” Jared started, but Jensen had already seized his hand and yanked him across the room.

“Misha,” Jensen called cheerily as though they were best friends. Misha glanced around, making no move to hide his scowl. His gaze landed on Jared and his expression instantly changed.

It was so unfair, Jared mused, that Misha looked gorgeous whether glaring or beaming.

“I thought we ought to introduce Sascha and Jared,” Jensen gazed challengingly at Misha. “Seeing as they’re probably going to be spending a lot of time together.”

Jared raised his eyebrow at the male by Misha’s side. He was tall and slimly built, with a head of gently curling golden-blond hair and flawlessly clear skin. His small, full mouth gave the impression he had just been trading languid kisses and his huge eyes made him look young and innocent. There was an undeniable femininity about his features but the lines of his body spoke of a graceful, fierce power that was entirely masculine. Jared felt awkward and ungainly in comparison.

“Why’s that?” Misha was saying.

Sascha sighed and moved around Misha to offer his hand. “ _Boys_ ,” he said disparagingly. “At this rate Jared and I will have graduated by the time you two stop arguing.” He beamed at Jared, looking even more gorgeous up close. “Hey Jared, I’m Sascha Krushnic. Misha’s boyfriend.”

*

“So,” Jared began cautiously, “I, uh, met Misha’s boyfriend.”

That drew Milo and Gen’s attention.

“You met Sascha?” Milo said, looking surprised.

Gen rolled her eyes, saving Jared the hassle of doing so. “How many boyfriends do you think Misha has, Milo?” she said impatiently. “Of course Jared means Sascha. Well,” she spun in her seat and stared hard at Jared, “what do you think?”

“… Of Sascha?”

Milo grinned at him and Gen gritted her teeth. “No, Jared, I mean Misha’s other boyfriend. Are all boys as stupid as this or do you two just practice really hard?”

Milo nudged her. “Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” he said lightly. “Why don’t you go sit with Misha if you’re that unimpressed with our company?”

“Because Misha’s doing a make-up test over lunch, as you well know, which means I’m stuck with you for company,” she favored Jared with a slightly more gracious look. “You’re not quite so bad.”

“Count yourself privileged,” Milo added. “Now would you like to join Gen and I in our petition of ‘Misha-Could-Do-Much-Better’?”

Jared leaned forward, trying not to betray his eagerness. “You guys don’t like him?”

“It’s not that we _dislike_ him –”

“We don’t like him at all,” Milo cut in over Gen. “In fact, I think Misha should be dating someone who’ll actually deign to hang out with him in school and not just in classes when he’s forced to. Only I’ve got impossibly high standards for my best friend according to Genevieve here.”

“I never said that!” Gen scowled. “I just told you to stop interfering. Only you could hear something else altogether.”

“So have they been together long?” Jared said before Milo could argue.

“Nearly six months.” Milo pulled a face. “I gave them two weeks.”

“I gave them four weeks,” Gen said smugly. “And I think they’ve only lasted this long because they barely spend any time together. But, anyway, Milo owes me ten bucks which he still has to repay.”

“I’ll give it to you when they split up!”

Jared tried hard not to sigh. It stood to reason his dream guy would have an equally perfect boyfriend he adored.

“Anyway,” Milo stared at him with an oddly knowing expression. “What do you think of Sascha?”

Jared, cheeks burning, avoided eye contact. “He’s… nice. Really good-looking.”

Milo and Gen both swapped glances. “If you say so,” Milo said dubiously.

“I don’t see it myself,” Gen agreed. “But then you and Mish are better judges than we are.”

“Yeah – wait,” Jared blinked at them, “how am I a better judge? I’m not dating him.”

There was a long pause. Gen twirled a lock of dark hair round one finger.

“Ah,” she said finally. “I sort of thought… you know what? We really need to start work on our French assignments!”

Jared narrowed his eyes. “You thought what?”

“It’s due next week so I figure if we make a start now we’ll have time to spread out the proof-reading and editing and –”

“We assumed you were into guys,” Milo said with a shrug. “Ackles certainly seemed to think so, anyway.”

It was true. Of course it was true, so why did Jared feel so horrified? “You could tell… just from looking at me?”

“Not from looking at you,” Gen raised an eyebrow. “It’s not like you have a neon-pink sign on your forehead. We just… you seemed like you were. And the way you looked at –”

“It’s not a big deal,” Milo gazed at him, eyes dark and serious. “Honestly, it isn’t. Not in the werewolf world anyway.”

Gen’s eyes widened. “Jay, we’re not gonna make fun of you for it,” she said, leaning across the table to squeeze his hand. “Goddess, you didn’t think we would, did you? I mean, I _adore_ women, it’d be completely hypocritical and Milo’s always wanted to make out with a guy, haven’t you, Mi?”

“Genevieve!” But Milo was smiling. “That’s the last time I get drunk with you, you’re the worst at keeping secrets.”

“Get drunk _with_ me? Sweetie, I wasn’t drinking. Hence why I remember all your dirty little secrets.”

“I don’t have –”

“If you’re gonna argue all lunch, I’m going to sit by myself,” Jared told him, but he could not keep the grin off his face.

He’d never thought of himself as being a good judge of character. Most of his past friends hadn’t hesitated to stab him in the back. Maybe, though, Eros Academy wasn’t just improving his chances at getting into college.

*

Around ten o’clock that night there came a tentative knock at Jensen’s bedroom door.

“Go away,” Jensen said just as the door creaked open.

“Sorry,” his father, Sebastian, said, not sounding very sorry at all. “I couldn’t hear you over the sound of that music. Could you turn it down a little? Misha’s trying to study.”

Jensen turned it down as little as physically possible.

“Jensen.”

He turned it down a fraction more.

“ _Jensen_.”

“What? If he’s that much of a genius, he should be able to study with a little… background noise.”

“Jensen,” Sebastian took a deep, calming breath – or what was supposed to be; in reality, it calmed neither of them down – and stepped fully into Jensen’s room, shutting the door behind him. Jensen stifled his groan of annoyance. This heralded a Serious Talk. Goddess forbid their discussion affect the Resident Genius’ studying.

“You’re home early,” Jensen said, in the vague hopes of distracting his father. “Did the bottom fall out of the housing market?”

Sebastian glared. “I know you don’t think much of my career in real estate, Jensen –”

“Actually, I don’t think about it at all. Not everything’s about you, you know.”

Sebastian’s glare doubled in intensity, but it was nothing Jensen had not seen before. Riling his father up just wasn’t as much fun as it used to be. He had attempted to start on Richard, but it was difficult to wind someone up who was so freaking _calm_ all the time. It was disconcerting. Richard could be as bouncy as the next person – more so, in fact – but it was like he lived up on his own cloud, and negativity just passed beneath him. Jensen often suspected it annoyed Misha as much as it annoyed him, but nobody would catch him admitting to the two of them having any common ground.

“I know you don’t think much of my career path, Jensen, but I do at least have a career path. Have you started work on your college applications yet?”

“I’m almost half-way done with starting,” Jensen said disinterestedly, turning over the page in his comic book.

“You know Misha’s already narrowed down his list?” Without looking, Jensen knew Sebastian would be swelling with pride. “He’s planning on applying Early Action.”

“You’ll have to forgive me for being unable to contain my excitement.”

“If you don’t get a move on, Jensen, you’re going to be rushing and you won’t make a good job of it.”

“Actually,” Jensen paused for a moment to savor the anticipation of dropping this particular bombshell, “I wasn’t thinking of applying at all.”

Sebastian’s reaction was predictable.

“WHAT?”

“Chad’s not going to apply and _his_ parents don’t care,” Jensen said. “Then again, I suppose they’re not constantly playing tonsil tennis. They’re actually aware that they have children.”

The tips of Sebastian’s ears went red and he swelled up like an angry bullfrog.

“Jensen Ackles-Collins, if you –”

Jensen flung his book to the side in fury and sat up straight. “For the last fucking time, I will _not_ take that bastard’s name – your perfect Misha’s still got his surname!”

Without warning, the door swung open and Richard appeared in the doorway, eyebrow arched in question.

“Everything okay?”

Jensen and Sebastian scowled and avoided looking at each other. “Fine,” they both answered shortly.

Richard raised his other eyebrow and stepped in, shutting the door behind him. “Doesn’t sound ‘fine’ to me. Jensen, you all right?”

“Tell him,” Jensen jerked his head in his father’s direction, “to stop bugging me about college applications. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to do what I want? What’s the point in living my life for him?”

“No point,” Richard answered evenly. “So are you not planning on applying to college at all?”

“Nope,” Jensen said firmly, folding his arms.

Sebastian looked appealingly at Richard. “Tell _him_ he should apply. The time to say no to something is when you’re offered it!”

Richard sighed. “He’s got a point, Seb. He shouldn’t go if he doesn’t want to.”

Sebastian glared while Jensen beamed triumphantly.

“So, Jensen,” Richard turned to him with a hopeful smile. It was almost pathetic how hard he tried. Then again, Jensen wasn’t going to complain. He needed an ally in this house, and since Sebastian had decided Misha was the son he never had… “What are you planning to do instead?”

Jensen opened his mouth and shut it. The silence stretched on.

“See?” Sebastian pounced. “If you apply, you’ll get at least some acceptances. You’ll have options at the end of the year. If you still don’t want to go to university then that’s fine, you can just turn down the offers. But I just don’t want you to end up in a position where you don’t get a choice in what happens next in your life.”

“Plenty of people don’t go to university,” Jensen said sulkily. “You see them in town all the time.”

“Having a social life is not a career,” Sebastian said in his frostiest voice. “And you should be grateful for the opportunities you have. Plenty of humans don’t get to go onto higher education the way that you do, and you’re just throwing it away.”

Jensen rolled his eyes and flopped down on his bed. “You sound like Jared. He’s always going on about werewolf advantages.”

The atmosphere in the room changed abruptly. Richard stepped closer to his bed and Sebastian unfolded his arms.

“Oh yes?” his father said, sounding interested. Jensen couldn't remember the last time he had heard him sound like that, at least not when speaking to Jensen. “Who’s Jared?”

Jensen stared up at the ceiling, fighting to look indifferent. “New kid at school. He’s human.”

“In your year?” If possible, Sebastian sounded even more excited.

“Yeah.” Jensen chanced a glance at Richard, whose eyes were bright. “Haven’t you heard all about him from Misha?”

“Nope,” Richard said. “Guess you’ll just have to clue us in, I am very intrigued.”

“He’s… all right,” Jensen said, trying to sound as non-committal as possible. “He’s here on a scholarship. I showed him around for his first day.”

“He good-looking?” Richard said, trying and failing to sound innocent.

Jensen attempted a scowl but even he knew it was unconvincing. “Maybe.”

“All right, then,” Sebastian said, the smile evident in his voice. To Jensen’s amazement and delight, he moved towards the door. “We’ll leave you be. You should invite him round some time.”

“Like I’d invite him anywhere near –” Jensen began, but for some reason he didn't finish the sentence. He was reluctant to break the fragile peace, and insulting Misha was the surest way to a black mark in his father’s book.

His father shot him a look but did not comment. “Remember the applications, Jensen. At least _think_ about where you could go.”

“You could talk to Misha,” Richard added. “Sort out where you’re applying so there are at least five states between you.”

Jensen brightened and Sebastian groaned.

“Stop encouraging them, you’re supposed to be –”

“I do not encourage them, you just act like an old man –”

The closed door cut off the rest of their playful squabbling and Jensen stared up at the ceiling.

Who cared about college? In less than a year’s time, Jensen would be out of this dump and then his real life could begin. College would just have to wait.

*

“So,” someone elbowed Jared hard in the side; luckily for them, Jared recognized that particular nudge as belonging to one Aldis Hodge, “first month at a fancy werewolf school and you’re still alive. Fancy sharing your secret?”

Jared turned round, smiling. The bi-monthly meeting of the Equality Group was finished but he usually hung back to help tidy up the hall. It was the same hall his father used for his sermons so Jared knew the area well; plus, it gave him a chance to talk to Aldis.

Having been a member of the Equality Group ever since it began, Aldis had been extremely welcoming to Jared when he showed up at the start of the summer, anxious and uncertain. Aldis was only two years older but could pass for at least twenty-one, brimming with confidence that wasn’t in the least bit arrogance. Aldis didn’t talk much about his home life but Jared knew he lived alone, and suspected it wasn’t by choice.

“It’s not entirely a werewolf school,” Jared pointed out to a grinning Aldis. “And I’m playing it safe and mixing with the only people who’ve actually been nice to me so far, two thirds of whom have at least two human grandparents.”

Aldis pulled a face. “There are way too many numbers in there for me to deal with at this time.” Jared glanced at his watch, realizing it was only nine o’clock in the evening and the group had therefore finished early. “But I’m glad you’re integrating. Now. Onto the more important question.” Aldis leaned in, smirking. “Tell me all about whoever’s put that smile on your face.”

“What smile?” Jared protested, knowing he was blushing. At Aldis’ knowing look he changed tack. “And why does it have to be a some _one_? Maybe I’m just enjoying my new school.”

“Maybe,” Aldis allowed. “But I think it’s more likely you’ve got a crush. Come on. Spill.”

Jared sighed, internally debating. On one hand, he and Aldis weren’t _close_ friends…

On the other hand, Jared didn’t dare go to Chris or Sandy about this (they’d pull rank and insist on meeting Misha with a shotgun) and he was dying to talk about it.

“There’s this… person,” Jared said slowly. “And I really, really like them.”

He didn’t know why he was being gender-ambivalent. Aldis had never shown any indication that human equality should be limited to certain humans, the way other people did. Jared had met Equality Group members before who seemed to believe the only ones deserving of human equality were those who were white, male and heterosexual. Jared always hated that standpoint, even before he began to question his sexuality and honestly thought he fulfilled all three of those requirements.

But Aldis wasn’t like that. Not because of his own skin color, but because that was the kind of person Aldis was.

“And?” Aldis prompted, waggling his eyebrows. “What’s the problem?”

Jared sighed and flopped down on a nearby chair. “They’re dating someone they completely adore.”

_‘Come on, Padalecki,’_ Jared silently scolded himself. _‘How difficult would it have been to say he’s dating someone?’_

Maybe he hesitated because, even if Aldis was accepting, he’d look at Jared differently – and that was before he found out Misha was a werewolf. Maybe he hesitated because Jared wanted to be more than his sexuality. Maybe he hesitated because he simply wasn’t brave enough.

“Ah,” Aldis said with a wince. “That, physical impossibility aside, both sucks and blows, dude. Have they been dating long?”

“Nearly six months.”

“Hmm,” Aldis made a thoughtful noise. “I’m sure six months is when you start getting antsy in a relationship. Get in there, man!”

Jared just shook his head at him, grinning. “I’m not gonna try and split them up. That’d be beyond douche-y. Besides,” Jared hesitated, thought back over the conversation, decided this wouldn’t give him away, “Sascha’s actually kinda nice.”

“Sascha’s…?”

“Misha’s boyfriend.”

“Misha,” Aldis stated thoughtfully. Jared was only aware he was gripping the edges of the seat when his hands began to go numb. He didn’t know whether it would be worse if Aldis assumed the name was male or if he assumed it was female. “And this is the one you’re head over heels for?”

Jared scowled at him. “No!”

“Ah, Jay, you’re an awful liar.” Aldis sat down next to him, smirking. “And I am a brilliant friend. Wanna hear my cunning plan for you to win the man of your dreams?”

Jared couldn’t think of anything to say.

“Urgh, you’re taking too long, I’ll tell you anyway.” Aldis leaned in, eyes sparkling, and Jared barely resisted the urge to fling his arms around this guy. “I could be your _fake boyfriend_.”

All sentimental feelings vanished. Jared stared. “Uh…”

“Isn’t it the greatest plan ever?” Aldis leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands together gleefully. “Nothing like some good old-fashioned jealousy to get someone to make a move.”

“Aldis… no.”

“Huh? Why not?” Aldis gazed at him, looking wounded.

“Where to begin?” Jared said incredulously. “One, you aren’t gay –”

“You don’t need to be gay to date a guy,” Aldis said huffily. “How do you know I’m not bisexual? Or bi-curious? Or, hell, just into you?”

Jared eyed him. “Are you any of those things?”

“No. What I am, however, is an awesome friend. And it would be _fake_ dating. Ergo, no need for me to be attracted to you.” Aldis’ eyes brightened. “Though I would totally make out with you. I’ve always wanted to kiss a guy.”

“And that doesn’t sound like bi-curiosity to you?”

Aldis narrowed his eyes. “Stop trying to distract me. I think it’s a great plan. I can make a big speech at your wedding about the awesomeness of me and how you owe –”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Jared sighed. “Because, one, it won’t work. He doesn’t feel that way about me. And, two, even if I did, I’d want him to ask me of his own accord, and not because he felt pressured into making a split decision.”

“It wouldn’t be pressuring him! He’d only feel pressured if he was actually into you, in which case he should step up to the plate.”

“It’s emotionally manipulative. Thank you… I think… for the offer, but no.”

Aldis sat back in his chair with a sigh. “You cut me, Jared. You cut me real deep.”

The next few moments passed in silence.

“So… in our fake relationship… who’d be the boy?”

“ _Aldis_!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Aldis took a slug of his drink. “I’d be the boy, your face is too girly.”

Jared rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna respond to that. And here’s a revolutionary new idea – we can _both_ be the boy because we’re _both_ males. Genius or what?”

“Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, Jared –”

“Heternormativity doesn’t suit you, Aldis.”

Aldis straightened up in his chair. “Ooh, who swallowed a dictionary? I like that word. I’m gonna use it and make everyone think I’m smart. What is it again? Heteronormal-something?”

Jared rolled his eyes again but couldn't suppress a fond smile. “Heteronormative. Which is what you’re being. The _point_ is that there aren’t any girls. Or if there are, there are at least two of them. Got it?”

“Geez, bossy much. Fine then. I’ll be the dominant partner.”

“Aldis –”

“What? That isn’t being heteronormative! It’s true! My ma’s the dominant one with my dad, so there.”

Jared thought about this for a moment. “So you think there’s a dominant and a submissive? In _every_ relationship?”

“Well, yeah,” Aldis looked faintly puzzled. “That’s how it works, isn’t it?”

“So there couldn’t… there aren’t any relationships when both members are, you know, equal?”

Aldis didn’t speak for several moments, which was how Jared knew he was really thinking about it. “I dunno. Maybe? Damn you, now I’m gonna be up all night thinking about this.”

Jared tried to hide his smirk. “Glad to be of service.”

Aldis gazed at him, far more serious than Jared had ever seen him. “Is that what you want?” his friend asked carefully. “Totally equal relationship in every sense of the word?”

“I’m not discussing my sex life with you –”

Aldis let out a remarkably high-pitched squeal and covered his ears with his hands. “Urgh! I did not want to hear that! That is disgusting, you’re like a baby – you shouldn’t even know what that means –”

“I’m seventeen and you’re only two years older than me.”

“And a lifetime ahead in terms of maturity,” Aldis said cheerfully. “And I wasn’t talking about the s-e-x, pervert. I actually meant in decisions _outside_ the bedroom.” He paused a moment, then shivered. “Urgh. So many mental pictures I did not need or want.”

“Now who’s being the pervert?”

“Shut up, Padalecki, or I really will fake-date you.”

*

“Hey,” Jensen said stiffly when he heard footsteps enter the kitchen.

“Hey,” Misha said, equally coolly, a hint of wariness in his voice. It was not uncommon for the two of them to go weeks without speaking at home. When they were younger, they had argued about anything and everything in the unspoken but agreed hopes it would cause their fathers to reconsider their arrangement. However, as the years passed and Sebastian and Richard grew steadily more dewy-eyed, Jensen and Misha had come to a taciturn agreement that they would ignore the other’s presence.

“So,” Jensen said, his arms solid with tension. He kept his back to Misha as he scrubbed harder than necessary at the dishes. “I heard you’re slumming it with a human now. Thought that was my thing.”

Misha gave a heavy sigh that set Jensen’s teeth on edge. “You know, it’s statements like that that put people like Jared off. I’m not ‘slumming it’, I’m in the company of a human that I happen to like and admire. Not that it’s any of your business, unless of course you wish to be slumming it with this particular human. Which you don’t, because he’s human. Have I missed anything?”

“And you call me arrogant,” Jensen said scornfully. “You think you’re so much better than everyone else.”

“If thinking I’m different to every other prejudiced person in this world makes me arrogant, then I’m proud to be.” Misha’s voice had risen and Jensen smiled secretly. He loved hearing the evidence he had gotten under his stepbrother’s skin as thoroughly as Misha had done to him these last few weeks. Hell, make that these last few years.

“You just –” Jensen said, but Misha cut over him.

“Jared said something interesting to me the other day.” The pinprick of jealousy was surprising to Jensen, as well as highly unpleasant. “He asked me to make a mental tally of every time someone insults a human or uses the word ‘human’ as an insult. And you know what? Practically everyone does it! Milo and Gen do it, and they have practically more human blood than everyone else in the school put together! You just did it, and you’ll sleep with anything with a pulse, including humans! It’s so indoctrinated into our minds that we all do it and it needs to stop.”

“Wow,” Jensen said lightly. “Is that going to be your speech when you run for President? Could you make it a little more interesting? Better yet, get Jared to make it on your behalf. At least we’d have eye candy then.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Jen,” Misha said, his voice composed. That rankled Jensen like nothing else.

“Oh yeah? Why not? I’m just as smart as you, and about a hundred times better looking. We could have the exact same scores if I ever did the work.”

“ _If_ you ever did the work? Are you going to use that phrase for your college applications? I bet they’ll all be bowled over.”

“Who cares about college? I have better things to do with my time.”

“Like what? And you should go. Jared’s brother wanted to go and he never got the chance. You wanna know why?”

Jensen rolled his eyes. “Look, it’s been scientifically proven that humans have lower intelligence on average –”

“And who the hell do you think makes up those statistics?” Jensen glanced around, surprised by the passion in Misha’s voice. His stepbrother was slumped against the walls, his eyes blazing but his face tired. “Go to college or don’t go to college, Jensen, it’s all the same to me. Just don’t throw away an opportunity without thinking about it. There’s people who’d kill for what you have – for what we have.”

“Lucky Jared knows us then and doesn’t have to kill anyone,” Jensen said, and Misha just shot him a tired look and walked out the door.

*

The phone trilled and Jensen jumped, almost knocking over his energy drink. He stood up and stretched, happy to leave behind the pretense of doing his homework. He prowled along the corridor in the direction of the kitchen, waiting for Misha to pick up the phone upstairs. He rolled his eyes when footsteps did not sound. Honestly, what was the lazy ass doing? The phone was at least half a foot closer to him than Jensen.

The phone trilled again, sounding almost annoyed.

Jensen picked it up as he passed, fully prepared to slam it down in disgust if it was one of Misha’s band of merry freaks. He did not expect to hear a soft, almost melodic voice and froze in surprise.

“Hi, is Misha there?” Jared said chirpily.

Jensen opened his mouth, mind running through possible responses, but the werewolf in question cut him off.

“Hey.” Misha sounded confident, but Jensen could taste the hint of anxiety in his voice. He wondered if Jared could too. He wondered if that was a turn-off or a turn-on for the human.

Jared began to speak, voice quick but clear, and Jensen kept the phone in his hand, pondering his options. Of course, the etiquette in their household with a phone on every floor was to put it down immediately if you accidentally picked it up in the midst of someone else’s conversation. Jensen would be furious if Misha listened in on one of his conversations, accidentally or not (knowing Misha, it wouldn't be an accident).

Then again, Jensen did not use the landline anymore. He had a cell phone, like everyone else in the twenty-first century. Maybe this would teach Misha to give out their home number to any random stranger. Jensen did not want to have to hear Jared’s (wonderful, painful) voice outside of school, so why should he have to be faced with that possibility whenever he picked up the phone? Really, nobody in this household cared about Jensen at all.

He lounged against the wall, digging out his own phone and scrolling through his text messages as he listened to the rapid exchange going on at the other end of the line. He rolled his eyes. It was like being at Geek Central. It was just as well Jared was cute, because his personality needed an awful lot of work. Luckily for him, Jensen was a helpful person.

“… so if you were serious about studying together I was thinking maybe we could meet in a café somewhere? It’s fine if you don’t want to though, I won’t be –”

“A café sounds great,” Misha said, voice warm. “There’s a really nice one a mile or so from the school that’s quiet on weekdays and it isn’t too expensive. The brownies are to die for, I’ll treat you.”

Jared laughed. “I guess it would be wrong for me to pass up on a free brownie.”

“Definitely. It’d be a crime against the universe.” Jensen could hear the smile in Misha’s voice and resisted the urge to gag. Seriously, if this was all they were going to discuss, he’d hang up and go do something meaningful with his life. He hadn’t checked his hair for at least an hour. He zoned out of the conversation, reading Danneel’s gleeful text message about the werewolf girl Chad had crashed and burned with, until something in Jared and Misha’s conversation made his ears perk up.

“… would the weekend or some day after school work better for you?”

“Actually,” Misha said, and Jensen suddenly got the most ominous feeling. “I was thinking we could study some day in the library, and go out after school. Or the weekend.”

There was a long silence at the end of the phone and Jensen screwed his eyes up.

‘ _Say no_ ,’ he silently pleaded. ‘ _Say no_.’

“Sascha really likes you,” Misha added and Jensen nearly gave himself away by breathing out in relief. Most people thought of Jensen as being stupid, but he could read Jared like a book and he knew full well a ‘date’ with Misha and his boyfriend was the last thing the human had in mind.

“Okay then,” Jared said suddenly, the smile evident in his voice. “I guess I could make room in my busy schedule. You know, what with catching up on my sleep and trying not to murder my siblings.”

“Well, trying not to murder your siblings is a very important task,” Misha drawled. “Sure you can spare the time?”

Jared gave a small laugh, a waterfall of sound. “I think I could skip one day. Saturday?”

“Done.”

“My family will want to meet you at some point, though.” Jared sounded faintly apologetic. “They’re very… protective. It’s horrible being the youngest.”

“Jensen always says that,” Misha said. “Though personally I don’t see why. The oldies are lenient with you, you get much more freedom than the poor elder did when they were your age –”

“And there are how many weeks between you and Jensen?” Jared said, smile evident in his voice. Jensen ignored the way his stomach swooped at hearing Jared say his name.

Misha sighed. “Four days, actually. Thank the Goddess I’m the eldest. I can’t imagine how much more unbearable he would be if he was older.”

Jared hummed sympathetically. “How long have you two lived together?”

“Our parents married when we were seven, so over ten years now. I live in hope they’ll split up though, or at least send Jensen packing to a far distant corner of the universe.”

“Misha!”

“What? He said once he wanted me shot with silver and burned before the year was up.”

Jared made a noise of shock. “When did he say that?”

“When we were about ten. Dad went nuts at him, it’s the only time I’ve ever seen him actually get annoyed at Jensen. Relax, I’ve got a collection of guns hidden in my room should Jensen ever actually acquire a silver bullet – and learn to shoot accurately.”

Jensen scowled at the phone. He was a great athlete. Just because Milo Ventimiglia was some sort of super-freak when it came to any sort of sporting event. Whatever, it wasn’t like Misha was any better. Jensen would be more worried about the person next to him should Misha ever come at him with a gun. All the same, he thought he’d do a quick browse of Misha’s room when his dear stepbrother was next out.

Which, should he not manage to get Jared checked in for a lobotomy, should be this Saturday.

“Sorry,” Misha said, and Jensen had been too caught up in his own thoughts to know what Misha was actually apologizing for. “Milo doesn’t find jokes like that funny either.”

“It’s just me,” Jared said, but Jensen could hear the sadness in his voice. “In my old school, we would have been burned at the stake for even _thinking_ about making a joke like that. The headmistress was… extreme. Apparently her ex-husband had been a werewolf and she’d never forgiven herself for being too ‘human’ for him or something. We just learned not to talk about silver or decapitations or wolf’s bane in her presence.” There was a small silence, but Jensen and Misha could both tell Jared was building up to something. “My… friend used to make jokes like that. It was what got him expelled.”

Misha made a noise of annoyance warring with sympathy. “Goddess, what an idiot your headmistress was. We make jokes like that and no one bats an eyelash. Did he get reinstated?”

“Oh,” Jared gave a humorless laugh, “he got reinstated all right. Just not to that school.”

Jensen could practically hear Misha trying not to ask.

“Sorry,” Jared said, his voice back to normal. “I’m being maudlin and scaring you off.”

“Have you met me, Jared? You’ll need to step up the act a _lot_ if you want to scare me off. Try taking some tips from Chad Michael Murray or Matt Cohen if you want to scare me off.”

“Why does Jensen hang out with them?” Jared said cautiously. “He seems so much nicer on his own.”

“That’s because you’re attractive. Trust me, he’s much more normal around us mere immortals.”

Jared snorted. “Trust me, ‘mere’ isn’t the word I’d use. Sandy’s distraught she never got accepted into a werewolf school. She wants an introduction to Genevieve, by the way.”

“… How human is your cousin again?”

“Misha!”

“It was just a question!”

“Hold on a second,” Jared said abruptly, and there was a brief silence. “Sorry, my brother’s badgering me for the phone, even though he has all evening to make this call he – Chris! Put me _down_.”

“Are you okay?” Misha said, audibly trying not to laugh.

“Fine.” Jared sounded slightly breathless. “My brother’s just being a jerk. I can’t blame him though, it is the only thing he’s good at. _Ow_! Steve! Get your husband to stop bullying me! Sorry, Misha, I’ll talk to you tomorrow when I have fewer annoying relatives around.”

There was a _clunk_ as Jared put the phone down, but the dialing tone Jensen expected did not come. He frowned, idly wondering if the phone was broken and how best to pin it on Misha.

“Oh, Jensen?”

Jensen froze.

“You can hang up now.”

*

“I’m sorry about Misha,” Sascha said with a world-weary sigh. “I said you’d feel awkward being invited out with us but he wouldn’t listen.”

“Oh. I, um, I don’t feel awkward.”

Sascha gave him a pitying glance and dug out his cell phone. “Anyway, I fixed you up with a date so you wouldn’t have to play gooseberry with us.”

Jared blinked. “You did?”

“Oh good, that’s him just arriving,” Sascha glanced over Jared’s shoulder, a bright smile spreading across his face. Jared took a moment to note that Sascha had never smiled like that in Misha’s presence and turned to follow his gaze.

He instantly wished he hadn’t.

Jared glanced back at Sascha, unable to disguise the horror on his face. “You invited _Jensen Ackles_?”

“Well, yeah,” Sascha blinked at him. “Misha said you liked him.”

Jared stared.

“Well, you know,” Sascha shrugged guiltily, “he said you didn’t _dislike_ him, which essentially amounts to the same thing.”

“I hate you,” Jared told him, but he made sure to smile. Despite his own feelings for Sascha – which were a strange mix of genuine like and complete envy – he didn’t want the other boy to dislike _him_.

In fact, Jared thought generously for a moment, he could see himself growing very fond of Sascha were it not for the fact he was dating Jared’s dream guy.

Then Jared remembered he would have to spend the next few hours with Jensen Ackles and suddenly he didn’t feel quite so generous.

“Hey, Sascha, Jared,” Jensen gave them both a sweet smile. Jared was sure he didn't imagine the way Jensen’s eyes lingered on him. “Did it hurt when you fell all the way from heaven?”

“I refuse to believe those lines actually work on anyone,” Sascha told him with a smile.

“Hey, so they’re out of toffee popcorn but –” Misha, materializing by Sascha’s shoulder, took a moment to register Jensen’s presence. When he did, his voice trailed off and his eyes narrowed.

Jensen and Misha regarded one another for a long, painful moment, eyes flashing fire. Then, by some unspoken agreement, they decided to ignore the other’s presence and turned to their respective… dates.

Jared, wondering how he ended up in these situations, quickly moved out of reach of Jensen’s wandering hands. The occasional shift at Chris’ bar had made him a master at this sort of thing, and he knew the way he did it was almost a caress on its own. He tried not to notice Misha staring at him before Sascha murmured something in his ear and Jared hoped the movie would be an adequately distracting one.

*

“Do you want to stay and go out for a drink?” Sascha asked after the movie. Jared tried not to look at the way his hand was entwined with Misha’s. “There’s a load of human bars round here, the I.D. checks are non-existent…”  
Jared tried not to grit his teeth. Of course the I.D. checks were non-existent, one complaint from a werewolf and a human bar would be closed down, no questions asked. Refusing to serve alcohol to minors wouldn’t be enough to close the bar but a fictional allegation of sexual harassment would do the trick. The authorities didn’t concern themselves with mere humans.

“I’m fine, thanks. I’d better go now if I want to get my bus back anyway.”

“I can give you a lift,” Misha offered. “I’m the designated driver anyway.”

“It’s fine, really, it’ll only take me about an hour –”

“So I can probably get you there in half an hour,” Misha gave him a gentle smile that caused butterflies to break out in Jared’s stomach. “Jared, seriously, it’s not a big deal. You don’t mind waiting, do you, Sascha?”

The blond shrugged, fingers tapping furiously on his cell phone. “Nope. Jen and I can meet you in the bar across the street?”

Jensen slung an arm round Sascha’s shoulders. “I’ll protect your boyfriend’s virtue, Mish-Mish.”

Misha’s gave Jensen a warning look and the other boy just smirked.

Sascha, eyes on his phone and seemingly oblivious to the tension, offered his cheek for a kiss and Misha obliged. Jared, busy trying not to stare enviously, accidentally caught Jensen’s eye. The other werewolf gazed at him, his gaze impossible to read, and Jared looked away and prayed his expression hadn’t given too much away.

*

“Thanks, Misha,” Jared told him once they pulled up to Jared’s house. Misha had gotten him there in twenty-seven minutes, a fact the werewolf seemed exceptionally pleased with.

“No problem,” Misha smiled at him. “Thanks for coming out with us tonight – and sorry Jensen turned up, I swear I had no idea Sascha was going to start matchmaking.”

Jared laughed awkwardly. “So long as he can match me with someone other than Jensen, I’m happy. Besides… one of my friends has already offered to fake date me. To, uh, make the guy I like jealous.”

‘ _Bad idea_ ,’ his subconscious hissed. ‘ _Do NOT tell Misha about that._ ’

Misha raised an eyebrow, his expression impossible to read. “Oh yeah? I was never a fan of the whole jealousy route. Seems to me like you should just bite the bullet and ask the other person out. Makes everything so much easier.”

“Right,” Jared agreed quickly, unbuckling his seatbelt. “That’s what I told him.” For a moment, Jared thought he see Misha’s expression flicker, but then he looked again and the other boy looked as gorgeous and calm as ever.

“I’ll walk you to your door.”

“Misha, you really don’t need to – you should probably get back to Sascha anyway.”

Misha shrugged, smiling. “What difference will a few minutes make?”

And when Misha hugged him goodbye, Jared wished the moment would last for eternity and tried not to look too closely at the curve of Misha’s lips when they withdrew.

Maybe it was time to stop pretending he just saw Misha as a friend.

*

“Mom? Can I speak to you for a moment?”

His mom, nose in a book, looked up with a cheerful smile. “Course you can, sweetheart. Come take a seat.”

Jared did so, trying to hide the minute shivers that wracked his frame. He had sworn to himself, aged fifteen and just beginning to realize the reason he wasn’t attracted to girls wasn’t because he was asexual, that he would never tell his parents this. They had supported Chris and Steve, barely batted an eyelash at Sandy’s boyfriends and girlfriends, but a little part of Jared insisted their tolerance could only be stretched so far. There wouldn’t be any left over for him; the youngest, quietest child.

“Sweetie?” his mom prompted softly. Jared took a deep breath. If he didn’t find the courage now, he never would.

“I don’t know how you’re going to react,” he began, the words awkward on his tongue as he unconsciously wrung his hands together, “but I feel I need to tell you this. You… you asked me about it before, and I lied to you, and I… I need to tell the truth.”

His mom stared at him, eyes bright with concern, and Jared could hardly bear to look at her for fear of seeing hatred flash across her features.

“Mom… I’m gay.”

The next few moments were the longest of his life. Then his mom stretched her arm across the table and gripped his hand tightly.

“Oh Jared,” she said softly. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” he whispered without a moment’s hesitation. “And I’m… I’m so sorry. I tried not to be, I thought it would go away, but it –”

“Jared. Honey, stop. Look me in the eye.” He did so, on the verge of tears. The look of love and acceptance on his mom’s face took his breath away. “You’re my son. And nothing can make me stop loving you. You hear? Nothing, Jared.”

“I… I thought you and Dad wanted me to be s-straight. Because Chris and Sandy aren’t, and you thought of me as your… your ‘last chance’ and I didn’t want people to be horrible to you for having three non-heterosexual children –”

“Jared,” his mom said sternly. “I’m a big girl. I can deal with what others think. And you know what? It’s absolutely none of their business. As long as you and Chris and Sandy are happy, I don’t care if you love a – a pot plant.” Jared smiled through his tears. “And I’m sorry.”

He blinked at her. “For what?”

She sighed. “For making you think you had to hide this. Jeff and I will always love you, baby, and I hate to think of you being convinced you had to hide this.”

“I was stupid,” Jared mumbled, wiping at his eyes, “I-I knew you weren’t homophobic, but I was still…”

“You’re not stupid. Don’t ever think you are.” His mom smiled. “Thank you for telling me.”

Jared sniffed and rushed round the table to engulf his mom in a hug. “I love you,” he mumbled. “I just… thank you. Thank you so much.”

She hugged him back tightly. “You’ve got nothing to thank me for, baby.” They withdrew and she smiled up at him. “Now. Anyone on the horizon that I should know about?”

Jared blushed. “There’s this guy,” he said slowly, tentatively. “And he’s… he’s amazing. He makes me laugh like no one else can and I just… I know I can trust him with absolutely anything. He’s so… beautiful, inside and out, and I –”

His mom smiled at him eagerly and Jared paused to fully savor this impossible moment. Both for him and for every human who would never get this chance.

*

“So,” Jensen said, leaning against the bookshelf. “You going with anyone to the ball, Jared?”

Misha slammed shut the weighty tome, making Jared jump. “Funny,” he said through gritted teeth, eyes fixed on Jensen. “ _I_ was just about to ask Jared that.”

“Well, you should’ve asked sooner,” Jensen said, his voice languid. Misha gave him a look that would have Jared running for cover, but Jensen met it head on with an entirely neutral expression. They both switched their gazes onto Jared at the same time and, he had to admit, it was a little jarring to have so much intensity focused on him and him alone. Maybe this was the reason humans shouldn’t get involved with non-humans. Maybe humans just weren’t capable of living up to that much emotion.

Jared could just imagine his father’s expression upon hearing that, and he forced himself to look carefree.

“I wasn’t thinking of going at all.”

Jensen blinked, the first sign of genuine expression, and Misha gave him a wide smile.

“I wasn’t thinking of going either.”

“That’s because your idea of a good night is sitting in a darkened room and watching dated movies,” Jensen said. “But you should go, Jared. At least I’d have some eye candy.” He ran his eyes slowly up and down Jared’s torso, and Jared was uncomfortably reminded of how tight his shirt really was. He ignored Jensen and smiled back at Misha.

“I like doing that, too. My cousin doesn’t get it, she insists on either going to the theater or not watching the film at all – or she looks it up on-line and complains about how clichéd the ending is just after the beginning sequence’s finished.”

“That would drive me insane,” Misha said, eyes twinkling. “Does that happen a lot in your house?”

Jared rolled his eyes. “Unfortunately. My brother’s ‘visiting’, which basically means he’s gotten tired of doing his own cooking and washing, and between him and his husband and my cousin… we can’t decide what to watch on TV, never mind whether the movie itself is any good.”

Jensen coughed pointedly. “Why don’t you just go up to your room to watch something?”

“Uh…” Jared could feel himself turning red. “We just have one TV in our house. My parents still don’t trust us not to watch something ‘unsuitable’.”

It wasn't entirely a lie – his mother _did_ say things like that. When his parents weren’t having whispered discussions about how low the family funds were getting.

For no apparent reason, Misha leaned across the table and squeezed his hand. The contact lasted less than a second, just the fleeting touch of warm skin against his own, but Jared could feel his skin becoming even hotter, for all that he knew werewolf displays of affection were much more tactile than human ones.

“You should come over to our house some time,” Misha said brightly. “I’ll even let you choose what to watch and I won’t talk through it. Much.”

Jared grinned in spite of himself but Jensen cut in over him before he could respond.

“I still think you’ll have more fun at the dance. It happens once a year, you can watch movies with my geek of a brother anytime.”

“ _Step_ brother,” Misha corrected. “And, actually, we have school dances four times a year.”

“Fine, but we only have the Unification Ball once a year.” Jensen turned his gaze on Jared, eyes wide and beseeching. If Jared didn't know him, there would be no question of Jensen getting whatever he wanted. “Don’t you want the opportunity to experience a mixed dance for the biggest celebration of the year?”

“You say that about the Peace Treaty Ball, and the Equal Citizens Ball,” Misha said. “Besides, nobody really does anything at the ball other than stand around and critique what everyone else is wearing – and, let's face it, we can do that on a normal school day. Trust me, Jared, it’s basically a display of how much wealth you can wear while still looking insanely cheap.”

“Maybe for you,” Jensen said, the ice in his voice mistakable. “If you’re naturally beautiful and you’ve got an attractive partner, then it won’t matter whether your suit costs five hundred dollars or five thousand.”

Jared fought hard to keep his eyes from bugging out.

“Which brings me back to my original question.” Visibly shaking off his annoyance, Jensen smiled charmingly at Jared. “Who are you going to the ball with?”

‘ _Did you just call me naturally beautiful?_ ’ Jared tried hard to swallow his disbelief. “I’m not planning on going,” he said lightly. “I think a human at a Unification Ball would be just asking for trouble.”

Misha frowned. “Is that not the point of a _Unification_ Ball? Besides, Milo and Gen are going. I think. Last I heard, they were both whining about not having dates.”

“That’s different, and you know it.” The rest of Misha’s sentence caught up to Jared and it was his turn to frown. “What happened to Genevieve’s parents arranging her date?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Misha said, “did I say Gen was whining about not having a date? I meant whining about not having a decent date. Her parents are pally with Matt Cohen’s and they’ve agreed to allow him to, uh, ‘escort’ her to the ball so Gen’s busy thinking up excuses.”

Jared shivered. “Poor Gen.”

“Hey,” Jensen said, not sounding all that irritated. “She should be pleased she’s getting to go with him. Danneel and Katie have been at each other’s throats for that honor.”

“Jensen,” Misha swiveled round in his seat, smiling his sweetest smile. “Now we’ve established Jared isn’t planning on going to the ball, I really see no reason for you to still be here.”

“Would you go if someone asked you?” Jensen said to Jared, avoiding looking at Misha altogether.

“Bye, Jensen,” Misha said firmly.

“ _Has_ someone asked you?”

Jared raised an eyebrow. “Why does someone have to ask me? Why can’t I ask someone?”

Jensen smiled lazily. “All right, then. Have you asked someone?”

“No. And I don’t plan to.”

Misha’s small grin made that last sentence more than worth it.

Jensen visibly restrained himself from rolling his eyes. “Well, you’d better hurry up then. All the good ones will be taken.”

“You can go to a ball on your own,” Misha said. “It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s not a big deal for you because you go on your own all the time,” Jensen said. “Unless you go on a friend’s date with Cortese or Ventimiglia – you must have been disappointed when it turned out they’re both into women, it ruined your dating prospects.”

“Oh, Milo mentioned that friend’s thing,” Jared thought out loud, resisting the urge to kick Jensen. “And now I get why he brought it up, if Gen’s stuck with Matt.”

Jared returned back to his notes, hopeful Jensen would get that the conversation was closed.

“Oh yeah?” It was Misha who spoke, sounding almost strained. “In what context?”

“Hmm?” Jared chewed on the end of his pencil as he contemplated a particularly hideous looking equation. “Oh, he wanted to know if I was going with anyone too.”

“And what did you tell him?” Jensen said, too quickly.

Jared frowned up at him. “Same thing I just told you. Don’t you have practice, Jensen?”

Misha ducked his head, not quick enough to hide his smirk.

Jensen folded his arms. “In a minute,” he said, voice clipped. “You should think about going, Jared. Chad’s still free, I think.”

“Now there’s an offer you can’t turn down,” Misha muttered.

Jensen swung his bag as he straightened up, clipping Misha on the back of the head. “It’s not like he’s got a lot of other options. Who’s still free? _You_?” Jensen gave a derisive snort. “I’ll see you later, Jared. And if you need a ride to the ball I’d be happy to give you one.”

“We live on the other side of town, Jensen,” Misha said, and Jensen resolutely paid no notice as he flounced out of the library. Misha sighed.

“Does it still count as fratricide if he’s not really my brother?”

*

“Jensen!”

Jensen jumped guiltily. Danneel had been so swift and so silent that, even with his enhanced hearing, he had no idea she was there.

‘ _Or maybe_ ,’ a small voice in the back of his mind suggested, ‘ _maybe you’re just distracted with thoughts of a certain human_.’

He attempted to smile charmingly at his best friend, who had her arms folded and a glare fixed on her face. She did not waver in the slightest.

“Why are you sucking up to the human?”

“Me?” Jensen opened his eyes wide. “I don’t know what you’re –”

“Don’t try to lie, you’ll only embarrass yourself,” she snapped. “Why are you even giving that human the time of the day? He doesn’t want you.”

Jensen couldn’t hold back his flinch. Danneel inhaled sharply and took a step back in shock.

“Don’t tell me – don’t tell me you’re _upset_ about this? It’s cute, I’ll give you that, but it’s a human, Jensen! They’re a dime a dozen in a crowded bar before ten!”

Jensen shrugged angrily. “I know that.”

“So why are you still thinking about him? He should have been fucked out of your system days ago.” Her voice had gentled, though not by much.

Jensen squirmed. “I… I…”

“Oh,” Danneel said, drawing the syllables out. “This is about Misha, isn’t it? You don’t want him to get something you don’t.”

Jensen saw his chance and took it. “Yes! Yeah, that’s it exactly.”

Danneel cocked her hip, staring at him from under heavy-lidded eyes. “So?” she prompted, licking her lips. “What’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Jensen swallowed. “I’m gonna be the one to take his virginity. Misha can take him on all the cutesy little dates he wants, but it’ll be me who fucks Jared first. And it’ll be me he falls in love with.”

A flicker of uncertainty crossed Danneel’s face.

“And… and it’ll be me who kicks him to the ground and breaks his heart,” Jensen said. “No one rejects a werewolf, and no one rejects me for my stepbrother.”

Danneel smiled and strutted towards him, hips swaying. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” She brought their lips together in a quick, chaste kiss and drew back, eyes bright. “Seriously, Jen, you had me worried there for a moment.”

Jensen forced a smirk, ignoring the way he felt sick to his stomach. It was probably all the meat he’d had the night before. “You know me. I don’t have feelings like that.”

Danneel tossed her head. “Oh, I know. It’s what makes us so suited. We don’t have to form attachments that make you weak. Humans are cute and all, but they’re such a liability. They can’t hold their own in a fight, they can’t fuck all night… really they don’t have a lot going for them.”

“The mortality,” Jensen said quietly and Danneel shot him a look he could not decipher.

“Yes,” she said finally. “I suppose the mortality does have its perks. Everything’s so much more… intense with them. When you know every day could be their last.” She smiled wickedly. “How long do you think it’ll take you to seduce the human?”

Jensen offered her his arm and they strolled down the corridor, the respective King and Queen of the high school. “Oh, I don’t know. I’m gonna take this one slow. Fucking within a week ain’t gonna cut it.”

“No,” Danneel said thoughtfully. “I suppose it isn’t. You’d better clue the others in, though. We all thought you’d lost your mind. How mad do you think Misha will be?”

Jensen smiled, a genuine smile that caused fire to light in his veins. “Oh, I shouldn’t be surprised if he combusted with jealousy.”

Their laughter echoed down the corridor and, if there was a sick, nagging feeling in the pit of Jensen’s stomach, he’d long since grown use to ignoring such things.

*

His mobile rang that night. Jared nearly didn’t get to it on time; he wasn’t used to receiving phone calls since he rarely gave his number out. In fact, one of the few people he had was –

“Misha?”

Silence.

“Misha? Is that you?”

“Yeah,” a faint voice said, thick and trembling. Jared’s eyes widened.

“Everything okay?”

Stupid question, obviously it wasn’t.

There was another long pause on the other end of the line and then Misha sniffed. “It’s Sascha.”

Jared’s stifled his gasp and gripped the phone tighter. “What happened? Is he okay?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. He’s fine.” It took Jared a moment to place Misha’s tone. Bitterness. “He’s absolutely great. He’s only been sleeping with my stepbrother for the last two months.”

*

  


  
Chapter Three   


Jared had planned to go to bed early that night and wake up for school bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The second Misha had mentioned Jensen and Sascha in the same sentence, however, and Jared knew that was no longer an option.

He didn’t mind. Misha’s need was greater than his.

Their conversation ended up lasting an hour and a half, Jared guiltily relieved it was being charged to Misha’s phone and not his. Jared didn’t speak much; just listened as Misha sighed and whispered and unsuccessfully tried to hide how heartbroken he was.

Any affectionate feelings Jared had ever had for Sascha and Jensen had long since vanished. And even though Jared had envied Sascha’s relationship with Misha, he had never wanted things to end like this.

The conversation slowly drew to a close, Jared itching to wrap his arms around Misha and try to shoulder some of his pain. Jared knew full well what it was like to discover your boyfriend in bed with someone else; it had been part of the reason he and Tom had split up, for all Tom had insisted Mike was just a friend.

But to find out your stepbrother had been the ‘other’? There was no love lost between Jensen and Misha, even Jared could see that, but he couldn’t begin to imagine how deeply that betrayal would cut.

Even through the phone, he could sense Misha’s warm smile. “Thanks, Jared. You’re a good friend.”

Jared did his best to smile in return, all the while feeling like his heart had been scooped out with a white-hot spoon.

Only later did it occur to him to question why Misha had called him and not Milo or Genevieve.

*

Monday morning, Jared was walking into school when one of the figures by a side entrance detached themselves from their small group and sauntered toward him.

Jared gritted his teeth and walked a little faster, hoping against hope there was someone behind him that Jensen really wanted to talk to –

“ _Jared_!”

Oh well. There went that theory. Sighing, Jared ground to a halt and turned around. He suspected Jensen would just follow him if he attempted to escape.

“What, no enthusiastic welcome?” Jensen asked once he got close enough, spreading his arms wide. “I’m hurt, Jay. I was at least hoping for a thank you.”

Jared stared. “For what?” he said acidly.

Jensen, unperturbed by his tone, continued to smirk. “For sleeping with your rival. Now Sascha’s out of the picture, you and my bro can start having your ultra-vanilla sex.”

“ _What_?”

“Sorry, Jay, Misha’s not gonna do anything more adventurous than the missionary position once a week under the covers.” Jensen straightened up, licking his lips. “Now, if you want to kinky, I happen to –”

“Jensen, stop talking,” Jared said through gritted teeth. “Tell me you did not sleep with S-Sascha so they would break up.”

Jensen smiled wide.

“You didn’t,” Jared thought it through and felt his conviction grow a little stronger. “You wouldn’t. You’d been sleeping together before I even arrived. And even if you did, that would be completely horrible to both Misha _and_ Sascha and –”

For the first time, Jensen looked affronted. “Don’t drown in all that gratitude you’re displaying there. What’s that saying? No good deed goes unpunished? This is the last time I try to be fucking helpful.”

“You?” Jared couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Helpful? Come on, Jensen. You only slept with him because he’s hot. Or to hurt Misha. How could you –”

“Guilty as charged,” Jensen said with a casual shrug. “But I had another motive.”

“Why?” Jared scowled. “Why would you do that to Misha anyway? He’s never done anything to you.”

Jensen laughed, but it was not a happy sound. “You know, you only turned up recently. You have no idea what the deal with us is, so don’t you dare stand there with your better-than-you face on and try to preach to me. Misha isn’t as perfect as you seem to think he is, and I would know. I actually have to live with the dude.”

“My heart bleeds for you. It must be so difficult having to live with someone you use as a figurative punching bag.”

“Hey, I’ve never laid a finger on him!” Jensen looked thoughtful. “Apart from that one time when we were eleven and I _accidentally_ tripped him up and the clumsy idiot fell down the stairs. But that was totally not my fault.”

Jared stared, then shook his head to clear his mind. “I’m not going to thank you! You broke his _heart_ , Jensen –”

“And mended yours.” Before Jared could stop him, Jensen had swooped in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Strolling away as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened, Jensen glanced back over his shoulder with a smirk.  
“Let me know when I can get my blowjob as repayment.”

Jared did not and never would condone violence. At that moment, though, he dearly wished there was something around he could use to batter Jensen’s face in.

*

“You know,” Jared turned at the sound of a female voice and found the petite figure of Genevieve, arms full of books, beaming up at him, “you could just ask him out.”

“Ask who out?” Jared said, shutting his locker and willing himself not to blush. “I don’t have anyone to ask out.”

He couldn’t blame Genevieve for not dignifying that with a response.

“It’s the twenty-first century, Jay. You don’t have to wait for the werewolf to make a move.”

Jared sighed, leaning against his locker. “It’s not that, Gen. Or not much, anyway.”

She waited, raising an eyebrow in question.

“It’s just… what if he says no? It’ll completely screw up our friendship –”

“You can’t _be_ friends with someone if you’ve got a crush the size of the Empire State building on them.”

Jared tried to scowl. “Did I ask for your input?”

“I’m listening, I’m listening!” Gen widened her eyes, attempting to look as innocent as possible.

“And I do _not_ have a crush the size of – look, I don’t, okay? I just… I don’t know if he even likes me back. And he’s so upset about Sascha, it doesn’t feel right to ask him. It’d be like taking advantage. I want to wait until he’s ready and the only way I’ll know if he’s ready is if he asks me. And that’s a big if.”

Gen’s face was serious but her eyes twinkled. “Want my advice?”

Jared winced. “Do I?”

“Oh ye of little faith,” she said happily, adjusting her books to link her arm with his. “Well, one, asking someone out is not taking advantage of them. Asking them out and refusing to take no for an answer and then emotionally blackmailing them into accepting would be taking advantage, yes, but knowing you – and I do know you – you’d trip over yourself trying to take it back if Misha even gave the slightest indication he wasn’t interested. Which brings me to my second point. He’s definitely interested.”

Jared rolled his eyes. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“Me?” Genevieve snorted. “I never say things just to make someone feel better. That’s Misha’s forte, not mine. For instance,” she eyed a figure across the hallway from them, “if I think Milo’s hair looks absolutely hideous even for Milo, I’ll tell him so.”

The figure paused, midway through the act of rummaging in his bag, and looked across at them. “Tell Milo what?”

“That his hair looks absolutely hideous,” Gen said without batting an eyelash. “Seriously, Mi, did you look in the mirror before leaving the house?”

“Geez, what is this, the beauty inspection?” Milo huffed and fell into pace with them. “You know, your links to Danneel are showing.”

Jared glanced at Gen in surprise. To his further disconcertion, she was bright red and refusing to look at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said stiffly. “All I meant was you’re never going to impress Alexis Bledel looking like that. You asked me to point these things out, remember? You wanted a female perspective. I’ll see you at lunch, Jared.”

Gen swept off, nose in the air and bangles jangling crossly.

Milo winced, his shoulders slumping. “Silver bullets.” He cast a wry glance in Jared’s direction. “You ever have days when you just wish you’d never gotten out of bed?”

“All the time. What was that about?”

“Me being a dick who can’t censor his words?”

“No,” Jared said, though he was on Gen’s side for this one. “What you said about Danneel.”

His face lighting up, Milo lowered his voice and spoke quickly. “Ah. I keep forgetting you’re new. It’s a bit of a long story, but I’ll cut it short. Genevieve and Danneel used to be best friends.”

Jared stared.

“I’m serious. And I mean _total_ best friends. You’d never see one without the other, like, ever. Danneel was a hell of a lot nicer too.” Milo looked thoughtful. “I think they might even have been dating at one point and just didn’t feel the need to tell everyone else. They were basically each other’s worlds.”

“But…?”

Milo pulled a face. “It fell apart. I dunno exactly what happened – Gen’ll rip the head off anyone who tries to ask, which includes you, no matter how cute she thinks you are. I think Danneel cheated on her, or maybe they were never really together and Daneel stole Gen’s crush. Let's just say it involved Katie Cassidy and a hell of a lot of saliva sharing.”

“Urgh. Poor Gen.”

“After that, she and Danneel… well, broke up, for lack of a better term, and the rest of the Wolf Elite took Danneel’s side. Gen stopped talking to them, started talking to me and Misha…” Milo grinned. “And the rest, as they say, is history. And speaking of history, I’d better get there. See you later, Jay.”

“See ya,” Jared mumbled, already lost in thought.

*

A ripple went around the bar. Jared glanced up, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end, and his eyes widened briefly.

In a list of the very last people Jared wanted to see tonight… Jensen Ackles, Matt Cohen and Chad Michael Murray would be pretty near the top of that list and yet here they were, sauntering into Chris and Steve’s bar as though they owned it and settling into a table in the far corner.

Jared breathed out, hoping their presence here was just pure coincidence and nothing more. After all, none of them had so much as glanced in his direction.

He didn’t have to wait long for confirmation. Several minutes later, Jensen strolled up to the bar. Jared sighed to himself. They were quiet tonight and it seemed he’d have to bite the bullet.

“What can I get for you?”

“Yeah, we’ll have –” Jensen stared. “ _Jared_? What the hell are you doing here?”

“I work here,” Jared said with a tight smile, holding up the tankard he was cleaning as evidence.

“But you’re seventeen,” Jensen said, brow wrinkling in confusion.

“So are you.”

“Mish and I are already eighteen, actually,” Jensen said with a proud shrug. “Didn’t he mention? Our parents went on a mad sabbatical when we were thirteen and we ended up missing so much we had to repeat a year. Mish-Mish hated it of course, but I thought it was awesome.” Jensen looked innocent. “Hadn’t Misha mentioned that to you?”

Jared barely managed to resist rolling his eyes. Werewolf or not, Chris wouldn’t be happy if he thought Jared was insulting their customers. (Steve would just stand behind Chris, nodding severely, and then high five Jared when Chris wasn’t looking.)

“You know,” Jensen was gazing at him intently, “Misha’s not around.”

Jared narrowed his eyes. “I noticed.”

“So there’s really nothing to stop you –”

Jared stepped back, glaring. “I don’t think so, Jensen,” he said in his frostiest voice. “And what’s Misha got to do with it? Last time I checked, he didn’t own me.”

Something like surprise flitted through Jensen’s eyes but it was gone too quickly for Jared to tell for certain. “Ah,” Jensen said, smirking. “All’s not well in Paradise then? It’s not your fault. I’m pretty certain Misha only dates werewolves.”

“Right,” Jared drawled. “That would explain why he’s best friends with a human and a half-human.”

“He’s not dating them though, is he?” Jensen saw his barb got through. “And I’m sure I don’t need to tell _you_ about Sascha’s pure lineage.”

Jared stared at him coldly. “What was your order again?”

*

Jensen kept his distance for the rest of the evening, to Jared’s relief. Working here was stressful enough without having to deal with the Wolf Elite. When he was younger, Jared had imagined working in a bar to be a romantic profession and had pestered Chris to employ him, harboring vague fantasies about meeting his soul mate.

The reality was sore feet, tiring hours and unbearable customers. Like this one, for example.

“What time do you get off tonight?” the werewolf asked, lounging against the bar. He was tall and dark-haired with striking eyes – and Jared did _so_ not have a type – that glittered with arrogance in a cold, haughty face. Jared disliked him on sight, though he couldn’t possibly act on that of course.

The werewolf leaned closer. “Cos, baby, I can make it earlier.”

Jared smiled tightly. “Another tequila sunrise, sir?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” the werewolf – Daniel, Jared thought he said his name was – watched him without blinking as Jared made up the drink. Chris would shoot the hands off anyone who tried to touch his staff inappropriately but his big brother was all for gentle flirting that got their customers to keep spending. It was almost amusing to watch Chris try to juggle his desire for business with his big brotherly instincts.

“You know,” Daniel drawled, taking a sip of the drink. “Nice boy like you shouldn’t be working here. Surely there are… other professions to help pay the rent.”

“I like working here,” Jared nodded to the back of the room where the pool tables were. “My big brother owns it.”

To his disappointment, Daniel neither turned around nor backed off. “Interesting,” he said slowly, studying Jared intently. “I suppose it’s a good way to meet clients.”

“… Right,” Jared said uncertainly.

“I imagine your going rate’s pretty cheap,” the werewolf continued. “Seeing as you're tied to a bar like this. How much for an hour?”

Jared stared.

“Come on, sweetheart,” the werewolf leaned in with a genial smile. “I bet you can make twice as much as you do behind this counter. And it’ll be _your_ money, not your brother’s. And you’re not going to get a better client than me tonight.”

Oh for the love of… He thought Jared was a bondslave, a human prostitute who served only werewolves. Jared dearly wished he could say this was the first time mistakes had been made, but this had happened before. He had asked Chris about it once, who had growled protectively and hovered at Jared’s shoulder for the next month, glaring at anyone who so much as glanced at Jared.

Jared liked his big brother just fine, but he didn’t like having a living shadow.

“I’m sorry,” Jared made sure to smile politely. “But I’m just the bartender.”

Daniel’s eyes glinted. “No ‘just’ about it –”

“I’m not for sale.” Blunter than he usually was, but Jared was tired of rich werewolves thinking the world owed them something.

Daniel’s’s eyes narrowed and, for a moment, Jared saw a flash of the wolf within. Before he could stop himself, he had shivered and taken a step back.

Daniel leaped over the bar, agile in a way only a pure werewolf could be, and slammed him up against the wall. Behind Jared, glasses shattered from the force of impact and Daniel’s eyes glinted silver and someone was yelling –

And then Daniel was being ripped away from him and Jared nearly crumpled to the floor, legs shaky and heart pounding. Eyes disbelieving, he watched as Daniel was bundled unceremoniously from the bar by the unmistakable form of Jensen who was quickly aided by Chris and Steve.

There was a stunned silence. Gradually, the noise levels returned and people returned to their prior conversations, though they all kept glancing in his direction.

The bar was made up of werewolves and humans, but their expressions all suggested Jared was the one at fault here.

Chris came round the corner and wrapped Jared in a tight hug, for once neither of them caring about being affectionate in public.

“Fuck,” Chris breathed in his ear. “Fuck, Jared, that was too close. It’s never gone that far before. Just… fuck.”

Over Chris’ shoulder, Jared watched dazedly as Jensen approached cautiously, ignoring his friends’ attempts to catch his attention. “Are you okay?”

Chris spun round, eyes furious. “It’s none of your business – Oh.” With difficulty, Chris swallowed down his rage and tried to smile. It looked more like a grimace. “Thank you. For what you did for my brother.”

Jared rolled his eyes, still shaking. He didn’t know what he felt in that moment, torn between gratitude and annoyance.

_Why couldn’t it have been Misha?_

Jensen brushed off Chris’ thanks, gaze still fixed on Jared.

Chris clapped a hand on Jared’s shoulder. “Go sit down, kiddo,” he said firmly. “I’ll take over.”

“Chris –”

“I mean it, Jared. In fact, I’ll get Steve to give you a ride home.”

“I’ve got my card –” Jared fell silent. Although humans had a curfew to stick to, it was accepted that some humans _had_ to be outdoors after it. For those humans, they were issued with a tracking card that they were required to carry at all times outside the curfew. Jared had been issued one the year before and therefore would be allowed to walk home, at least in terms of the law.

That didn’t make it safe though.

“Wait here,” Chris waited patiently until Jared gave a reluctant nod and then Chris turned a wary gaze on Jensen. Evidently, he found what he was looking for and Chris turned away to find Steve.

Jared struggled to find the words but knew they had to be said. “Thank you, Jensen. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes, I did,” Jensen corrected quietly and firmly. “He shouldn’t have been acting like that.”

“Why?” Jared raised a mocking eyebrow. “Didn’t you like seeing another werewolf move in on your ‘property’?”

Jensen gazed at him, more serious than Jared had ever seen him. “You shouldn’t have to deal with that. You’re more than that, Jared.”

Jared sniffed and willed himself not to show any weakness. “Could have fooled me.”

“Look,” Jensen rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly and avoided looking Jared in the eye. “I hit on you because you were hot, yes, but it was more than that. I,” Jensen’s voice dropped, “I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

Shadowy figures flitted through Jared’s mind’s eye, dreams too countless to remember with any precision. A white-and-grey werewolf with green eyes, a black werewolf with blue. Dreaming of being in a high school with the words ‘Eros Academy’.

“Don’t you feel that way?” Jensen stared at him, eyes pleading.

Jared wanted to say no, wanting to crush Jensen right there and then the way he had crushed Misha. But, even as he was gazing at Jensen, he was seeing someone else as well. Someone with bright blue eyes and a smile that could make Jared’s heart stop beating.

“Yes,” Jared confessed in a voice so soft he wondered if he had even spoken, and Jensen, eyes bright, finally withdrew.

*

Chad stared. “The hell, man? You’re backing down because, what? He’s sleeping with your brother?”

“Hey, I understand the guy,” Matt, smirking, took a slug of beer. “I wouldn’t want to sleep with someone that’d been within ten feet of Collins. It’d be, like, practically sleeping with him.” Matt shuddered.

To Jensen’s complete disbelief, he found himself feeling almost… angry. Insulting Misha was his forte and he was doing just fine at it, thank you very much. He didn’t need Matt’s assistance.

“Anyway –” Jensen started.

“Although,” Matt’s eyes narrowed, “you slept with Krushnic and he’d whored it out to Collins.”

Chad smirked. “Sascha had whored it out to everyone. School bicycle much?”

“Whatever,” Matt waved an airy hand, eyes never leaving Jensen’s. “How come Misha’s slut was good enough for you and his virgin isn’t? We _know_ you’ve got a thing for virgins, Jenny.”

Jensen glared. It didn’t matter how many times he snarled at him, Matt still insisted on using that hated nickname. “Well, I don’t have a thing for haughty humans,” he blustered. “And Sascha was were. Jared isn’t. Mystery solved.”

Even Chad was frowning now. “You _love_ humans. I can’t remember the last time you picked a were when you had a choice between one and a human. And that human? He’s like your walking wet dream. Why the fuck haven’t you nailed him yet?”

“I –”

“Oh, I get it,” Matt said softly, with a smile Jensen did not like one bit. “He’s turned you down, hasn’t he? He’s turned you down and accepted Misha.”

“That isn’t it,” Jensen said forcefully, barely resisting the urge to shift and claw Matt’s throat out.

“You’re losing your touch, Jenny,” Matt drained his beer and smacked his lips with relish. “Tomorrow morning at school, I’ll give you a demonstration on how the master does it.”

*

“So what was it you were wanting to talk to me about, Misha?” Jared glanced up at his friend with a smile.

Misha almost looked nervous, biting his bottom lip and gazing at anything but Jared.

Jared frowned. “Is everything okay? Is it Sascha?”

Misha was startled into actually looking at him. “Hmm? Oh, no. No. We’re finished.” Misha hesitated. “There’s actually someone else I like.”

“Oh yeah?” Jared ignored the sound of his heart shattering and smiled. “That’s great, Misha. What are they like?” He turned his head briefly under the guise of stuffing books in his locker and willed himself to get his expression under wraps.

When he glanced back, Misha was staring at him. “Do you think I should ask them out then?”

Jared swallowed. He desperately wanted to say ‘no’, unable to bear the thought of another Sascha, but he also wanted what was best for Misha. He didn’t deserve to have to deal with Jared’s pathetic little crush, after all. “Definitely. Werewolves like the direct route, don’t they?”

“Right, right,” Misha didn’t look very happy. Jared glanced around the corridor, hoping Milo or Gen would appear and put him out his misery. For all he wanted Misha to be happy, he wasn’t sure he could stand to hear all about Misha’s new crush – who was no doubt as beautiful and intelligent and perfect as Sascha, if not more so.

“Jared,” Misha said suddenly. “What if I said… this person isn’t a werewolf?”

Jared was glad his back was to Misha. It meant he didn’t have to hide the way his face fell. “Oh,” he said, swallowing. Oh Goddess, that was ten times _worse_. “Oh. Well, that’s… that’s great.” Forcing a smile, he turned back to face Misha’s visibly worried form. In spite of himself, Jared softened. He hated seeing Misha upset. “I still think you should ask them if that’s what you want.”

“What if he says no?” Misha stared at him hopefully, as though Jared was somehow the expert on dealing with rejection.

And the fact Misha’s new love interest was human _and_ male… Jared hated him already. “At least you tried. And, besides…” Jared smiled tentatively and prayed that for once his eyes would hide what he was really feeling. “I doubt he’s going to say no.”

It seemed he’d said the right thing. Misha’s eyes lit up. “So, Jared, I was wondering if –”

“Hey, Jared,” a slow, drawling voice said and Jared stiffened before turning around. Despite never really having spoken directly to Matt Cohen, his was the sort of voice everyone in the high school recognized.

“What do you want?” he said flatly and was faintly surprised at himself. He would never have dreamed he would have gotten this disrespectful since joining Eros Academy.

Matt did not bat an eyelash. “I’ve got an offer for you. One I think you’ll be interested in, considering what happened last night with Jenny.”

Beside him, Misha suddenly went very, very still but Jared was too busy frowning at Matt.

“What are you talking about?” He was dimly aware of Milo and Genevieve appearing up ahead, their smiles disappearing when they caught sight of Matt, but all Jared could focus on was Matt.

“Oh, c’mon. I’m sure you can guess. I mean, I understand why you wouldn’t wanna sleep with Jenny,” Matt shot Misha a scornful glance. “He is related to this loser, after all. But _my_ lineage is pure and so is my immediate family. What more could a human ask for? You’re not going to get a better offer, I guarantee it. So? Wanna fuck?”

“Just because I’m a human,” Jared said, suddenly furious beyond words, “doesn’t mean I’m inferior. And it definitely doesn’t mean I’m just going to go to my hands and knees for any werewolf who expects it.”

Matt gave a bored shrug. “Hey, I get it. Must be tough having a Druid for a father. I mean, expecting you to wait until marriage? What the hell’s that about?”

Jared stepped forward, glaring into Matt’s eyes. “It’s nothing to do with my father,” he said in a low voice. “If you were the last person alive, I wouldn’t give you a second, on account of the fact you’re a bigot and a jerk and I may have to go to school with you but it sure as hell doesn’t mean I’m going to worship you.”

Matt stared at him, then around the school hall. Everyone was openly gazing in their direction and some were even smirking. Matt’s gaze returned to Jared and Jared tensed, expecting Matt to lunge at him with his fists.

Finally, Matt shook his head in disgust and spat at Jared’s feet before storming down the hall.

“Wow,” Milo said, staring at him in admiration. “You _really_ told him. Remind me not to get on your bad side, Jay.”

“Jared, I really need to ask you something,” Misha said suddenly.

“Oh,” Gen said in a strangely high voice. “Oh, I just remembered I need to see my French teacher. Walk me there, would you, Milo?”

Milo, eyes flickering back and forth between Jared and Misha, turned to her in confusion. “Huh? Why? You know where the French classrooms are.”

“Just – just come with me,” Gen hooked her arm in Milo’s and firmly steered him away. As she passed Jared, her left eyelid twitched in what might have been a wink.

Jared turned to Misha, ready to smile and make a joke, but Misha’s expression made the words die on his lips.

“You’re different from anyone I ever met,” Misha said softly, stepping forward until they were breathing each other’s air. “You’re told every day of your life that you’re inferior and yet you don’t let it get to you. You’re here, at one of the most prestigious schools in the country, and you’re here on a scholarship. You’re one of the bravest and smartest people I know and I…” Misha paused, staring directly into his eyes. Jared couldn’t begin to imagine what Misha saw reflected there, Jared’s emotions all over the place, but whatever it was made Misha draw breath and continue. “I like you more than a friend. Much more than a friend. And after Sascha and I, I wanted to ask you so many times but I was too scared and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship and I don’t even know if you feel the same way but I had to –”

“Misha…” Jared blinked rapidly, expecting to wake up any minute. “I-I’ve liked you since I met you.”

Misha gazed at him, clear disbelief on his features. “Really?”

Jared couldn’t hold back his grin and, after a moment, Misha reflected it. “Then will you…” Misha swallowed, anxiety back. “Will you?”

“You have to ask me properly.”

“Oh for the Goddess –” Misha rolled his eyes but the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact he couldn’t stop smiling. “Jared Tristan Padalecki, would you do me the honor of going out with me?”

*

  


  
Chapter Four   


Jensen glanced up as Matt came storming into the canteen. Even across the room, he could smell the fury radiating from the other boy. Freshmen and seniors alike scattered as Matt tore across the canteen, eyes blazing fire.

Danneel took a delicate sip of her drink, eyes sparkling. “This oughta be good. Well?” she asked as Matt approached. She and Jensen swapped amused glances. “How’d it go with our favorite little human?”

Matt crashed into the chair and crammed a piece of meat into his mouth. “Padalecki’s a slut,” he hissed in mid-chew. “Worse than a slut. Padalecki’s a fucking whore bondslave and I’m going to pay him back if it’s the last thing I do.”

“Aww, Matt,” Jensen gave him a sympathetic glance. “Have you _lost your touch_?”

Luckily for Jensen, Matt (positively incandescent with rage) was distracted by Katie’s sharp inhale of breath.

“Oh no way,” the petite blonde breathed.

They all followed the direction of her gaze and everyone’s mouths fell open.  
Jared was standing across the room, head ducked shyly as he chatted to Gen, and his hand was quite blatantly entwined with Misha’s.

Jensen felt like he’d been shot with a round of silver.

“Right,” Matt breathed, nostrils flaring. “This is war.”

Jensen was dimly aware of Danneel’s eyes fixed on him. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “Everyone knows humans and werewolves shouldn’t be together. What can they do that other werewolves can’t? If that thing’s going to date outside his species, he should at least be dating a worthy werewolf. A pure one.”

“Oh…” Katie drawled. “Like Jensen, for instance.”

Jensen snapped back to himself and gave an irritated shrug. “Well, obviously. I am the best looking guy in this joint.”

No one disagreed, though Matt and Chad looked as though they might want to. Jensen shot another glare in Misha and Jared’s direction.

“I bet if Jared knew what werewolves were really like, he wouldn’t be dating one,” Jensen said, almost to himself.

Danneel paused, midway through reapplying her lipstick. “You’re right,” she said slowly. “It’s really not fair his human naïveté is being taken advantage of.”

“Right,” Jensen said, not really listening. “And the fact they’re sitting there, being so blatant… they just have no shame, I could report them to the town representative… Ha, then they’d be sorry…”

“Someone has a responsibility to show him the truth,” Katie said suddenly. “Show him what werewolves are really like.”

“And who else would be kind enough to do that than us?” Matt said. “Those freaks he hangs around with would never help him out like that.”

“We have a duty, and we’d be wrong to neglect it,” Danneel said, and she and Matt shared a wide smile.

Later, months later, Jensen would look back on that moment and wish more than anything else he had told them no, told them to forget it. As it was, he just nodded absentmindedly and continued his tirade, oblivious to the disaster that was about to befall every single one of them.

*

Steve Padalecki stirred sleepily, the morning sunlight warming his face.

“Chris?” he mumbled. “Did you place that window there just to bug me?”

His husband of three years snorted and placed a kiss on his forehead. “You know me, babe. I’m a real bastard.”

“You said it, not me…” Steve half-opened his eyes and instantly noticed that something was different about Chris. A wide grin stretched across his handsome face and he was practically vibrating on his feet.

Steve sat up straight. “Are you all right? What’s happened? Is the bar –”

“The bar’s fine,” Chris said with an airy wave of the hand. “Sandy was just on the phone though. You’ll never guess what little Jay’s gone and done.”

Steve tilted his head to the side, deciding not to point out that ‘little Jay’ was now several inches taller than Chris. Jared would always be Chris’ kid brother and Steve’s too, by association.

“Got top marks in an exam?” Steve guessed.

“No! Well,” Chris rolled his eyes. “He’s probably done that too. But this is something else.”

Steve raised an eyebrow and Chris rushed on, evidently too excited to keep him waiting.

“He’s got a _boyfriend_.”

Steve blinked and a wide grin split his face. “No way! Jared? What’s he like?”

“Dunno – no one’s met him yet.” Chris glanced at him with glowing eyes. “But we have to go back home this weekend. Jay’s bringing Dream Boy around to meet mom and dad and, obviously, it’s just slipped his mind to invite us.”

Steve snorted. He doubted it was a mistake. Then again, he and Jared had an agreement, a sort of brotherly code in unity against Chris. Steve was highly miffed this was the first he was hearing of ‘the boyfriend’; he certainly would not be convincing Chris to stay home at the weekend. In fact, Steve would tag along now.

“ – gotta make sure he’s appropriate now, don’t I,” Chris was saying. “This is my baby brother we’re talking about. Hey, do you think my rifle or my pistol’s scarier?”

Steve looked scandalized. “Christian!”

“What?” Chris pouted. “Dream Boy has to know who he’s dealing with here. A gun’s a good way of getting that message –”

“No, idiot, I just meant the pistol’s way scarier – and I’ll take the rifle.”

*

The door swung open and Jensen strolled in, uninvited and unwelcome. “You’re not wearing that, are you?” he said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Misha finished dragging the brush through his hair and adjusted his shirt. “If you mean, ‘am I going out not looking like a client in need of a bondslave’ then, yes, I am wearing this.” Misha wandered over to his desk to check the money in his wallet. “Do you want something, Jensen? Normally you’re terrified of going in here in case you accidentally pick up some brain cells.”

Jensen scowled. “I wouldn’t want _your_ brain cells. You’re not even that bright. You’re dating a human yet you’re wining and dining him like he’s some classy werewolf you need to seduce.”

“Well, we’ve all seen how well _your_ seduction methods work.” Misha gave Jensen his sweetest smile. “I’ve got a date with Jared tonight. What is it you’ve got with him again?”

Jensen opened and shut his mouth, unable to answer. If there was a more satisfying sight in the world, Misha had yet to find it.

“Enjoy your night in,” he said on his way out the bedroom door. Normally he’d be wary of leaving Jensen in his bedroom but somehow he just knew his stepbrother wouldn't try anything.

“I’m not staying in,” Jensen said, summoning up his usual level of scorn as he followed Misha out. Misha paused to lock his door. All right, he had a feeling, but he didn't feel lucky enough to tempt fate. “I’m going out with Danneel and Matt. Hey, maybe we’ll see you there!”

Misha’s smile vanished and he whirled round, good humor lost. “Don’t you dare, Jensen. I mean it.”

Jensen smiled, slow and sure. “Aww, have I touched a nerve? Scared Jared will look at us and realize he’s dating the wrong brother? Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Misha did not flinch. He had grown used to Jensen’s comments and Jensen’s ways. Fire burned in his blue eyes as he gazed at his stepbrother.

“If you come near us, if you try anything with Jared, I swear to the Goddess I will make you sorry.”

Jensen tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. “Now there’s something I’d like to see. What would you do?”

Misha glared at him and spun on his heel, hurrying to the front door. Various ideas flitted through his mind – far too many of them involved Jensen with his jugular ripped out, which would not do. Richard had a thing about blood on the carpet.

“Do you wanna make a wager?” Jensen’s cold, laughing voice drifted after him. “I bet I could bed the human before you could.”

In response, Misha slammed the front door. He breathed in deeply, took a moment to compose himself, and hoped the drive to Jared’s house would sufficiently calm him down.

*

Jared tried not to let his nervousness show. “Guys, this is Misha Collins. My… my boyfriend. Misha, this is my dad Jeff, my mom Samantha, my cousin Sandy, my brother Chris and his husband Steve.”

Dressed in jeans and a close-fitting jumper with not a hair out of place, Misha struck just the right balance: neater than the average human but not as appearance-conscious than the average werewolf. With his clear eyes and gentle smile, Misha could almost be mistaken for a human. “Pleasure to meet you all.”

Steve gave him a brief smile of acknowledgement. Chris, hands in his jeans pocket, and Sandy, arms folded, did not even bother to feign politeness.

Samantha, oblivious (ore pretending to be), beamed at Misha. “Polite and good-looking. You have my seal of approval, Jared.”

“Mom,” Jared hissed, shooting her a narrow-eyed look. Inside he was turning cartwheels as his mom acted like she was introduced to her youngest son’s boyfriend all the time.

“Hmm,” Jeff said, gazing hard at Misha with a formidable look on his face. “So you’re the one who’s taking my underage son out.”

Jared gritted his teeth. His dad had taken his coming out as well as his mom had so he knew Jeff didn’t object to Misha’s gender.

No, Jared was lucky enough to have a family who acted overprotective whether he was dating a girl or a boy.

To Misha’s credit, he did not flinch. “That would be me, sir. I promise not to let Jared out of my sight.”

Jared gazed at Misha incredulously.

Jeff folded his arms. “I know I don’t need to remind you Jared has a curfew.”

“Ten o’clock sharp,” Misha said, gazing up with wide, innocent eyes.

“Dad,” Jared said through gritted teeth. “We agreed on eleven, remember? _Mom_ , tell Dad that –”

Jeff did not waver in the slightest. “And I know I don’t need to remind you that Jared is still a minor and given the fact he is also a carrier –”

“All right, Dad, you can stop talking now,” Jared interrupted, flushing scarlet. Although he knew most people tended to assume he was a carrier as he was a Druid’s child, it was one thing to suspect your boyfriend knew and entirely another to have your father announce it in the living room.

Chris was giving Misha his meanest glare. “It’s not gonna go that far. I swear to the Goddess, if you even _think_ of touching my baby brother –”

“We know where to find you,” Sandy finished, scowling.

Jared loved his family. It was just hard to remember that right now. Just because he was the youngest didn’t mean he was incapable of looking after himself.

“Thank you, everyone,” Jared said, grabbing Misha’s hand and staring hard at his family. _‘In future, don’t hold back with telling me what you think,’_ he mentally added. “I’ll see you all later.”

“But I –” Jeff, Chris and Sandy said together.

“Have a good time!” his mom said brightly, waving as Jared forcibly dragged a bemused-looking Misha out the front door.

“So,” Jared said turning to Misha and rolling his eyes. “Don’t you wish now you’d listened to me when I told you my family was much worse than yours could ever hope to be?”

*

“It’s beautiful,” Jared said, staring at the shadowy forest, eyes glowing.

“Yeah, it is.” Misha wasn’t looking at the forest. “You know this is where the first mating ceremony took place?”

Jared stared at him, wide-eyed. “No way.”

“It is! Course,” Misha grinned and sat down on the grass, uncaring of his clothes, “there’s at least one place in every country in the world that’s supposedly the site of the first mating ceremony. But I’ve got a good feeling about this one.”

Jared shrugged out of his jacket and sat down beside him, their arms brushing. “Oh yeah? Why?”

Misha shrugged. “Don’t really know. There’s just something about it.”

Jared turned to him in interest. “You’ve been in there? Can we go now?”

“No!” Misha said firmly, taking hold of Jared’s hand as though he thought Jared would make a run for it. “Seriously, Jared, no. It’s…” he hesitated. “Lets just say the werewolves round here consider it ‘their’ forest and they wouldn’t appreciate a human entering.”

Jared raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t help but think that tended to be the attitude of most werewolves in regards to anything and everything. “So why are we here?”

He left his hand where it was.

“Because…” Misha smiled at him hesitantly. “It’s beautiful and I wanted to show you it. Besides, we’re not actually _inside_. They shouldn’t have a problem. Plus, your dad would definitely kill me if he knew I’d taken you in there.”

“We wouldn’t want that, would we?” Jared said, grinning. “Who would treat me to brownies in the future?”

Misha gave a dramatic sigh. “I know, it really is frightening how irreplaceable I am. Better be nice to me or you’ll never know what their ice cream tastes like.”

“My life would be over,” Jared said, tilting his head back to stare up at the stars. He had never seen such a clear view of them before. He felt Misha’s gaze on the bare skin of his neck and glanced at him. To his surprise, Misha said nothing but looked away quickly, the tips of his ears turning red. Jared frowned but decided not to pursue it.

“So, the forest. Any good stories?”

Misha glanced back, the light fully restored in his eyes. “The question is, are there any _bad_ stories. There’s supposedly a pack of rogue werewolves in there, who flaunt the law and believe humans are deities.”

“Ooh,” Jared said, a slow grin spreading across his face. “My kind of people. Introduce me?”

Misha laughed and wrapped his arm around Jared’s shoulder. The position was startlingly intimate but Misha’s warmth immediately appealed to Jared and he curled up against the older boy, feeling content and safe for the first time in months.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Jared said suddenly. Normally he kept quiet, afraid of saying something he shouldn’t, preferring to listen. But something about Misha made him want to talk, made him want to let go of his inhibitions and just _be_ , safe in the knowledge the other would catch him if he fell.

Was it normal to feel like this? Especially after knowing each other for the length of time they had? He could never remember feeling like this about Tom, feeling this complete and unwavering trust.

“What?” Misha murmured against his ear.

“Just sit outside and watch the stars.” Jared wanted to say more, wanted to tell Misha about the curfew and how angry it made him, so angry sometimes he just wanted to scream. But Jared had never told anyone that, and he was too afraid to do so now. At the end of the day, Misha was still a werewolf. For all Jared knew, he might be in favor of the current regime, might even wish for it to be stricter.

And maybe he was a little afraid of trusting someone the way he had trusted Tom.

“You’ve never done this on previous dates?” Misha’s voice was patient, soft; soft enough that Jared could pretend he had not heard it. He took a deep breath.

“I haven’t had a lot of previous dates.” He could just imagine the sneers on the faces of people like Danneel, Matt, Chad, Katie… Jensen.

“Neither have I,” Misha said surprisingly. For all he was clearly not at the top of the social hierarchy, Misha was undeniably good-looking. “There was a girl I was hung up on for all of ninth grade and, well…” he gave an awkward cough. “You know about Sascha. Funny how Jensen was involved in both of those.”

Jared stared at him, eyes wide.

“Can’t really blame them,” Misha said casually. “People don’t tend to say no to Jensen.” He stared at Jared, blue eyes almost silver in the moonlight. “It’s part of what makes you so interesting.”

Jared lay down on his jacket, the sky open and endless before him. After a moment, Misha lay down too, the two of them fitting together as naturally as though they were somehow meant to be there.

“I don’t get it though,” Jared said. “He’s so… arrogant.”

“He’s also hot, funny and charming when he wants to be. Not that I’ve noticed, but those are the words Gen used and she would know.”

Jared couldn’t stop his smile. “I can’t believe she used to be friends with him. It’s just… too hard to imagine.”

“Don’t get too excited, they weren’t ever close friends. Gen was… kind of hung up on Danneel.”

Jared remained silent, heart thrumming in sympathy.

“Anyway,” Misha’s voice turned light, “Sascha and Julie were the only people I was ever serious about. They also both decided they preferred the green-eyed Ackles-Collins. And since Jensen and I don’t share when it comes to partners –”

“I don’t imagine most stepbrothers are keen on threesomes,” Jared said, straight-faced.

There was a small silence and Misha gave a half-strangled noise of disgust.

“Thank you, Jared. Really. Now whenever I want to close my eyes, I’ll have to keep them open for fear of _that_ image coming to mind. Urgh. I thought you humans were meant to be all sweet and innocent, easy to seduce and all that?”

“Where did you get that idea, Mish? Just because every human in every form of fiction has sex with the non-human character on the first date – if there even is a first date.”

“Huh,” Misha said quietly. “I’d never really thought of it like that.”

“Besides,” Jared said, suddenly keen to change the subject. He hated the melancholy in Misha’s voice. “I had a boyfriend for a year and a half. I’m not that innocent.”

“Oh. I’m… grudgingly impressed. What happened to you guys?”

“Oh,” Jared stared up at the night sky but did not truly see it. “Difference of opinion.”

Misha shifted, his grip tightening. Bare skin brushed against bare skin, sending little crackles of electricity along Jared’s veins.

“Ah well,” Misha said finally. “It’s like pancakes, eh? The first one never turns out right.”

Jared’s laughter broke the still night air. He couldn't ever remember laughing about his relationship, but it was definitely something he could get used to.

Misha stood up, dusting down his jeans. “Are you sure you don’t need a lift back? It’s not much out of my way.”

“You’re in the opposite direction,” Jared pointed out fondly. “But thank you. I can be trusted to get on a bus, though.”

Misha chewed on his bottom lip, a tiny crease appearing between his eyebrows. “It’s after ten. I don’t want to you to get in trouble and I know your card only works when you’re working.” He looked faintly embarrassed. “I hadn’t realized that. At least let me walk you to the bus stop.”

“If you insist,” Jared said, but secretly he was grateful. He doubted much harm would come to him in this neighborhood, but he had read enough horror stories to know there was nowhere in the world truly safe for a human and his father had long since drummed the need to respect the curfew into his mind.

“Here,” Misha said, handing his jacket to Jared.

“Misha –”

“I insist,” Misha said with a quick grin. “You’re frozen, and you know I don’t feel the cold like you do.”

Jared took it reluctantly, draping it round his shoulders. It smelled heavenly: a mixture of Misha’s own scent and cleaning powder.

“Thank you,” he said. “I didn’t realize it would be so cold out.”

“You don’t go out much after dark then?”

“Actually,” Jared took a deep breath, “I’ve never been out for as long as this before. Not after curfew and not outside, I mean. I’d either be in a bar, on a bus or in my brother’s car. There wasn’t really time to get cold.”

Misha paused. “Seriously? You’ve never just gone outside for the hell of it? My dad used to take me out and point out all the stars.”

“My mom did that,” Jared said softly. “She just did it with a telescope from our back room.”

It was the first time he had ever seen Misha truly angry. “That’s stupid. Why should you be punished for the fact some of us can’t control ourselves?”

Jared shrugged, a little helplessly. He had wondered the same thing dozens of times over the years.

“It won’t always be like this, you know,” Misha whispered. “Things are changing.”

“It’s been like this for thousands of years. Why should it change now?”

Jared had thought those words many times, but it was the first time he had ever said it out loud.

“It will change,” Misha said firmly. His hand brushed against Jared’s. “It’ll change because it has to. It’ll change because it’s time to. You’ll see. It won’t be like this for our children.”

Jared looked at him, wide-eyed.

“Wh – oh silver!” Misha’s cheeks turned scarlet. “I didn’t mean – I didn’t mean _our_ children, I meant if we had children – not that I meant together, I… I should just stop talking, shouldn’t I?”

Jared laughed and, shaking slightly, reached out to entwine his fingers with Misha’s. “I knew what you meant.”

Misha’s fingers fitted perfectly with his, or maybe it was just because Tom would never have held his hand in a public place like this. “At least we’ve broken down the barrier of my coolness. You now no longer have to fear rejection because of my suaveness.”

Jared laughed again and squeezed Misha’s hand. A year ago, had someone told him he would be walking along a clean street in a non-human neighborhood hand-in-hand with a male werewolf, he would have been torn between snorting in amusement and sighing wistfully. He was not the sort to get perfect relationships, and he had doubted for years he would ever be lucky enough to meet someone besides Tom.

He kept expecting to wake up, his mom shaking him gently and talking nineteen to the dozen in his ear.

The bus stop was deserted; too late for any self-respecting human and too early for any self-respecting werewolf. They waited together, the chill settling in as their misty breathes drifted into the cool night air, and Jared wanted to live in this moment forever. The stars glittered up ahead and Misha’s soft voice chased out the darkness.

“That’s me,” Jared murmured as headlights appeared up ahead.

“Okay then.” Maybe it was his imagination, but Misha sounded a little disappointed. “Thank you for coming out with me.”

Jared shrugged, the awkwardness settling in quickly. “Thank you for asking me.”

“It wasn’t a trial,” Misha said lightly and leaned in to press a fleeting kiss to the corner of Jared’s mouth. He stepped fully away and Jared’s legs went shaky for a brief moment. He stared at Misha, the desire all-too-apparent in his own eyes.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jared managed, heart pounding so loud he imagined Misha could hear it easily.

“Tomorrow,” Misha said, the word sounding like a lover’s caress. His blue eyes followed Jared onto the bus and, far from feeling restricted and backed into a corner, Jared felt as though he was flying.

The bus was just pulling into the stop before his when his phone buzzed in his jacket pocket.

_Hey :) I had a good time tonight. We could do it again sometime…?_

Jared stared down at the text, heart thumping. He liked the fact Misha texted in full sentences. He liked the fact Misha had taken the initiative and not waited for Jared to say something. But most of all he liked the fact Misha was willing to take it slow, the fact that he did not seem to want to call Jared his boyfriend or make vows of eternal love under an oak tree. His and Tom’s relationship had started like that (well, minus the vows and the oak tree). And while they had been friends beforehand and they did know each other, there had always been a nagging sense that they were moving too quickly and even when they had broken up Jared had been unsure of what he felt for Tom. He was physically attracted, definitely, and he did care about the other boy. But emotional attraction was a whole other ball game, one Jared was determined not to examine and powerless not to obsess over.

Hands shaking, he typed out a quick response.

_Definitely. :)_

*

Jared walked into Human Studies several minutes early with a beaming Gen and smirking Milo, who were desperate to know all about his date, and paused when he saw every desk had a piece of paper near the top.

Charles turned round and smiled at them. “Hi guys. I’m trying something different today. Mind taking your assigned seats?”

When the last person had drifted in (Chad Michael Murray, ten minutes late and not in the least bit apologetic looking), Charles surveyed the class with a wide smile.

“Now, as some of the more observant of you may have noticed, I’ve divided you up according to what society deems as your ‘worth’. On this side,” he gestured to Jensen and the people around him, “we have those that our government sees as the ideal form of our population –”

The class dissolved into furious whispers. Jared leaned forward and tapped Misha on the shoulder with his pencil.

“Why are you here?” he murmured.

“My great-great grandfather was human,” Misha whispered. “So, really, you and I don’t count as an interspecies relationship.”

Jared blinked. “You’re human by one sixteenth, Mish.”

“All right!” Charles clapped his hands together. “Shut up, you lot. Basically what I’ve done is to put those with exclusively werewolf lineage in one half of the school and those without this lineage in another part of the class.”

Jared surveyed the half of the class with ‘pure’ lineage with some dismay. There were really that many of them? Then again, he comforted himself, this was a school where an identity like that would be prized.

A boy at the front of the class who Jared recognized as one of the jocks who hung around Jensen etc. raised his hand. “Sir,” he said, not waiting for Charles’ acknowledgement, “my family are all werewolves apart from one… mishap back in the sixteen hundreds. I don’t deserve to be here –”

“Once tainted, always tainted,” Matt cut in, smirking. “Sorry.”

Charles stared hard at Matt until his smirk vanished. “Thank you, Mr. Cohen,” their teacher said tightly. “As you’ll have noticed, I specifically avoided words like ‘tainted’ and ‘pure’. Now I’d like everyone who _did_ have those words cross their mind to raise their hand.”

Face flushing delicately, Jared did so. Milo followed suit and within moments everyone on their side of the class had their hand in the air. The other half looked caught off guard and were evidently deciding to play it safe to avoid walking into a trap.

Jared tried not to notice when Jensen put his hand up. Of course, the werewolf did not miss the opportunity to show off his biceps.

“Thank you,” Charles said calmly. “Now you’ll notice that everyone who would have ‘untainted’ lineage thought of themselves as such. In an ideal world, we wouldn’t think like that. Our lineage wouldn’t be pure or impure, it would just… be.”

Chad leaned forward in his seat, eyes narrowing. “And what lineage do you have, _sir_?” Somehow, he managed to make that last word sound like an insult.

“I wouldn’t say that was relevant.” Charles waited until a sneer had crossed Chad’s face before continuing. “But it just so happens that everyone in my family is and was a werewolf.”

Chad scowled.

“Now, what was I saying?” Charles did not pause. “Words are more powerful than we think they are. Words can put a value on someone and it’s difficult to truly understand this effect until you walk a mile in the other person’s shoes.”

Noticing the gleam in Charles’ eyes, Jared suddenly had a feeling he was not going to like this.

“Which is why,” Charles said, “I’ve come up with a… unique assignment, which the school board has approved. Your performance in this will have a strong impact on your overall grade.” He hesitated, and then shrugged. “Basically, if you get an A in this, that’ll give you an A for the whole semester.”

Everyone stopped slouching.

“Now, this assignment will take place over the next four weeks. You will be allowed to use class time for it, though I expect you to take advantage of time outside of class to work on this.” Danneel and Katie made no attempt to hide the scornful glances they swapped. “I will need to see a copy of your work at least once a week in order to certify it is all your own work. You may collaborate with your partner – in fact, I absolutely expect you to – but you will each need to produce your own reports.”

A dark-haired girl with a shrill voice spoke up. “How long does this have to be?”

“How long is a piece of string?” Charles grinned broadly as his students made no attempt to hide their dissatisfaction. “I expect a minimum of three thousand words,” Jensen looked horrified, and he was not alone, “and a maximum of ten thousand.”

Katie actually gasped. “Who the hell writes ten thousand words for a school essay?”

Gen swiveled around in her chair and fixed her with a scornful gaze. “Those of us who actually want to graduate and make something of ourselves.”

“Like your mother did?” Danneel laughed, light and sugary-sweet. “Oh, wait. She made her fortune by laying back and spreading her legs. Someone’s been giving you the wrong career advice honey.”

Gen growled low in her throat and sprang from her seat, Danneel doing the same, and Charles quickly got between them. “Miss Harris, you’re out of order. Any more of that and I’ll send you out the class. Miss Cortese, physical violence is not tolerated in this class, no matter how badly an individual is provoked.”

Danneel and Gen, giving no indication they had heard, continued to glare at one other. They might very well have stood there all day, each determined not to back down, had their respective neighbors not pulled them back.

For a brief moment, Jared thought he caught a flash of uncertainty in Charles’ eyes, but it was gone so quickly he felt sure he must have imagined it.

“I want you to spend some time with someone from a different background from your own and maybe a greater understanding of how the other half lives. As a great man once said, you cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.” Charles looked at them expectantly. “Anyone?”

Jared caught his eye. “Gandhi.”

Charles sighed as the majority of his students continued to look blank. “Well, Mr. Padalecki, I’m glad someone reads.” Gen shot him a proud grin and Milo, who was among this majority, looked pleased on his behalf.

“Now, I expect you each to produce a report detailing the differences between your partner’s existence and your own. Some of you,” Charles inclined his head towards the boy who had spoken earlier, the one with so little human blood it was negligible, “may not have lives that are too different. In which case, perhaps you could talk about how society deems one of you as being ‘better’ than the other despite the tiny differences between you. Others will have very different lives and I especially look forward to reading those.” Charles’ gaze skimmed the class, making sure to look everyone in the eye. “And those are all your restrictions. The report can be as detailed or as specific as you like. Bear in mind what a strong impact this will have on your grade and that I do expect a reasonable amount of work, even if your final word count ends up being less than three thousand. Now. Any questions?”

“So we have to work with someone on _that_ side?” Matt said with clear disgust.

“That is correct, Mr. Cohen,” Charles said briskly. “I’ve taken the liberty of putting the names of your half into this hat,” he produced said object. “Mr. Collins, if you’d like to start us off?”

The way Misha put his hand into the hat was akin to one placing their hand inside a hornet’s nest. He withdrew a slip of paper and read it, lips tightening. Jared mentally prepared to sympathize if Misha had ended up with Jensen and hoped Charles knew what he was doing.

Jared was the last to withdraw his slip of paper and Charles moved to the front of the class and began speaking before he could open it. “Now, if you’d all like to claim your respective partner – and _no_ switching! I mean it, you guys!”

Misha spun round in his chair amid the clatter of movement, staring at him with haunted eyes. “Jared,” he whispered urgently, “Jared, I’ve got to work with _Chad Michael Murray_.”

Jared, privately wondering why Misha wasn’t a drama student, tried to look distraught on his behalf. A desk over, Milo was making a poor attempt at biting back his laughter, and Jared made a studious effort not to look at him.

“I’m going to die,” Misha whimpered. “I’m going to die and I’m never going to forgive Charles. I want you to make a speech at my funeral. A nice speech. And I want – damn, I don’t know what song I want, I’m too young to have sorted all this out!”

Barely restraining the urge to kiss his overly-dramatic boyfriend, Jared glanced down and unfurled his slip.

He instantly wished he hadn’t.

Scrunching the paper in his hand, his heart sinking, he opened it up again, hoping against hope he had read it wrong. But no matter how intently he gazed at the paper, the cursive handwriting continued to spell out the very last name Jared had hoped to see.

_Jensen Ackles_

*

“I feel like I should be walking _you_ home.”

“Misha,” Jared said, rolling his eyes, “it’s a twenty-mile walk. And it’s barely eight o’clock, nothing bad is going to happen to me while walking to the bus stop.”

“Even so –”

“Misha.”

“All right, all right!” Misha threw his hands up in despair. “Excuse me for trying to be a good boyfriend.”

“You’re excused,” Jared said cheerfully, before the last part of Misha’s sentence registered. They looked at each other with wide eyes.

“Sorry,” Misha said softly, “I didn’t – I mean, I know we’re going slow –”

“It’s not you,” Jared said, equally quietly. “I just… Tom and I never really called each other boyfriends. We were… complicated. I just, I don’t want to screw this up.”

Misha took a step towards him, their breath mingling in the cool night air. “Jared, you’re doing fine. I’m not exactly an expert myself. I’ve never dated a human. I don’t know anyone who has.” He cast an irritated glance at his house. “Jensen sometimes sleeps with humans, but that doesn’t count so I’m sure as hell not going to him for advice.”

“Would you want to go to Jensen for advice about anything?”

Misha grinned, teeth glinting in the semi-darkness. “Good point.” He sighed, smile fading. “You should go if you want to make your bus.”

“Yeah,” Jared said, half-heartedly willing himself to move. He felt as though he would be leaving a piece of himself behind on Misha’s front porch. “I’ll see you later.”

“Later,” Misha said, his voice sounding off. Just as Jared turned to go, Misha called his name, the word tinged with urgency.

Jared glanced at him curiously. “Misha?”

“I…” Misha took a tentative step forward, and then another, before they were standing together, their chests almost brushing.

“Can I kiss you?” Misha breathed against Jared’s suddenly numb and trembling lips.

‘ _Too soon, too male_ ,’ a tiny voice in Jared’s head whispered furiously. ‘ _He isn’t Tom. Tom’s the only one you’ve ever kissed, this makes it permanent, this makes it –_.’

But his heart said yes, and in response Jared leaned forward and tentatively pressed their mouths together.

Jared had not kissed many people – a few girls over the years, some more enjoyable than others, the feeling never right, and Tom and he had shared many languid kisses in darkened alleyways and the privacy of their bedrooms – and at first all he was aware of was his heart pounding in his throat, half with anxiety and half with anticipation. But then Misha adjusted the angle slightly, taking control of the kiss. His strong arms slid round Jared’s waist and Jared rested his hands on Misha’s shoulders. His eyes fluttered closed.

Misha’s lips were soft and a little dry, but the pressure was exactly right, gentle and experienced.

Jared and Tom had shared many kisses, and Jared had never experienced the feeling of fireworks that Sandy had once described. He did not experience it with this kiss either.

It was better than that.

For the first time in his life, Jared was exactly where he belonged.

*

“Hey!”

Jared almost did not hear the soft voice over the roar of the rain. He half-turned, freezing in surprise when he caught sight of a huddled, auburn-haired figure sheltering in the bus stop, puffing away at a cigarette.

It was strange to see Danneel on her own. Jared thought back and realized he had never once seen her unaccompanied by Katie or Chad. Taking a cautious step toward her, Jared was sure he must have misheard.

Danneel smiled, but it was a sad smile. “Yeah, I’m talking to you.”

Jared stepped inside the bus shelter, shivering. Danneel glanced up at him from where she sat on the ground, legs stretched out carelessly. She took another drag of her cigarette.

“Are you okay?” Jared said hesitantly.

“Do I look okay?” Danneel bit back, before shrugging. “I’m all right.”

There was an awkward silence and Jared was just wondering how to get away politely when Danneel spoke again.

“Gen and that small girl… are they together?” She stared at the floor, looking for all the world as though the answer did not bother her in the slightest.

“That ‘small girl’ happens to be my cousin,” Jared said. He didn't bother to hide the pleasure in his voice. “And yes, Sandy and Gen are dating.”

Danneel muttered something under her breath. Jared narrowed his eyes.

“What was that?”

She tossed her cigarette away, smoothing her hands down her form-fitting jeans. “I said,” she said, raising her eyes to meet Jared’s. He realized then she was not wearing any make-up and suddenly looked much younger. “That’s typical of humans. I mean, y’all harp on about equality and that bullshit, but at the end of the day you wanna date your own species as much as we do. Course,” she looked at him scornfully, “there are exceptions. You still stringing Jen and Misha along?”

Jared gritted his teeth. “I doubt Sandy and Gen are dating because the other’s human,” he said. “If that was the case, Gen and I would be dating – after all, we met first.”

“Now there’s a scary thought,” Danneel muttered.

“Danneel, what do you want? Normally you wouldn’t give me the time of the day, unless it was to insult me.”

She peered up at him. “Excuse me? What makes you think I’ve not been insulting you for this entire conversation? Or am I too subtle for your small brain? Want me to step it up a notch?”

Jared rolled his eyes to the heavens and Danneel suddenly lashed out, her foot connecting painfully with the side of his leg.

“Ow! What was –”

“Don’t act all holier-than-thou with me! I’m a werewolf, I’m from a line of werewolves dating back to the time of the Crusades and I don’t have a drop of human blood in me!”

“And I’m from a line of humans dating back to the time of humans and I don’t have a drop of werewolf blood,” Jared snapped. He took a deep breath, trying to temper down his annoyance. “Why are you so curious about who Gen’s dating? Because, I swear, if this is another means for you to make her life hell –”

“Please,” Danneel said. “Believe it or not, I have more pressing issues to deal with than the love life of Genevieve Cortese. I was just amazed anyone would be willing to date her. Though, given that that girl’s related to _you_ , maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. Didn’t your parents ever tell you to pick your dates with a little _care_?”

“Sandy’s parents are dead,” Jared said, in a voice so cold Danneel actually flinched. “Killed just after she was born by a bunch of werewolves who also believed in their own superiority.”

The rain sounded more like bullets now, ricocheting off the roof of the bus shelter.

“Sorry,” Danneel said.

“For what?”

She scowled. “I know you and Gen think I’m just a heartless bitch, but by the Goddess, I’m not going to rejoice in the death of that girl’s parents! She should at least have gotten the chance to know them.”

Jared gazed at her as she wrapped her fur jacket more tightly around her shoulders.

“Do you need a lift home?” he said eventually, half-hoping she would decline.

Danneel glanced up at him, eyes wide. She hesitated before firmly shaking her head. “No, I’m not… I don’t want to go home. A bus might turn up eventually.”

“You know you’re waiting in a human bus stop, right?”

“It’s all integrated now, isn’t it? Besides,” she drew her legs up to her chest, “I’m not really interested in going anywhere either.”

Jared nodded, casting a longing glance outside.

“Thank you,” Danneel said suddenly. “That was… nice of you, I guess.”

“I don’t think you’re a heartless bitch, Danneel,” Jared said quietly. “You’re just not my favorite person.”

“Yeah?” she grinned, taking another cigarette out her pocket and lighting up. “Right back at you. Though I think I’d like you more if you told Jensen where to get off. You and Misha make a cute couple and, besides, his ego could do with being taken down a few pegs.”

“Thanks,” Jared said uncertainly. “So… why don’t you do that?”

She took a long time to answer. “Because I don’t mean that much. You can’t throw something away if you don’t already have it.”

Jared nodded though, if he had been asked, he would not have been able to explain what she meant. Some deep, instinctive part of him silently sympathized. “Do you want me to wait with you?”

“I’m not waiting for anything.” She gave a bitter laugh. “Well, I guess I’m waiting for my life to begin.”

“Most people in our school would kill to be you.”

“Not if they knew what being me really meant,” she said, but she seemed to be talking to herself now. She stared out at the sides of the bus shelter, littered with graffiti, and waved an airy hand. “You can go. I might catch some of your humanity if you hang about too long.”

Jared nodded reluctantly, strangely unhappy about leaving her.

“Hey,” she said, just as he was stepping away. “With… with Misha and Jensen… do what you want. Don’t do what others want you to do because, fuck, you’ll regret it. There’s nothing that’ll hurt more than seeing one of them with someone else, someone perfect, and knowing you could have been perfect in their eyes.”

Memories flashed in Jared’s mind’s eye – Danneel’s hands on Gen’s shoulders, Danneel’s eyes on Gen long after the other girl had turned away, Danneel’s words at the very beginning of the conversation, the way she refused to call Sandy by her name…

“Oh,” Jared whispered, too low to be heard over the rain.

“You still here?” Danneel said, the upper-class note of boredom back in her voice as though it had never left.

“See you around,” Jared said, and was rewarded with what was almost a half-smile as he stepped out and began the long trudge home, his meager belongings weighing him down – all but the small piece of his heart that would forever remain back at a bus stop with a girl who was waiting for her life to begin, and watching as the person she loved went on to love someone else.

*

Danneel waited until even Jared’s scent had faded before digging out her cell phone.

“Matt?” she said flatly when the werewolf in question picked up, sounding surprised. “The attack’s off. I’ve changed my mind.”

*

  


  
Chapter Five   


“Now,” Charles gazed round the class hopefully, “before I go home and mark all of your assignments, I’d like to know if anyone learned anything from this that they’d like to share with the rest of the class.”

Katie put her hand in the air proudly. “I did.” She shot a small dark-haired girl a smug smile. “People with human blood are _amazing_ kissers. They put out on the first date too.”

The girl flushed. The pure blooded side of the class sniggered.

“Thank you, Miss Cassidy, for that valuable contribution.” Charles’ voice was light but it still managed to make Katie settle down. “Now,” he surveyed the class, the ghost of a smile etched on his face, “I suppose it’s too much to hope anyone here has learned anything useful that doesn’t involve sexual relations?”

There was a long silence. Jared stared down at his desk, making plans to speak to Charles later. He’d almost enjoyed carrying out the investigation, even if had ended up talking to Misha more than to Jensen.

“I did.”

Jared raised his eyes, startled, and stared at Jensen who was lounging back in his seat.

“Mr Ackles?” Charles said. Matt stared hard at Jensen.

Jensen shrugged. “Well, I did. I learned that humans are… pretty different from what I’d thought. They’re not that actually that different from us.” He caught Jared’s eye and gave him a shy smile. “Even though they can’t shapeshift like us, they’re…” He straightened up. “They’re not inferior. I found out that everyone’s been lying to us all these years.”

There was a muffled gasp and half the class was staring at Jensen in horror.

Charles, eyes bright, tilted his head to the side. “How did you come to that conclusion, Mr Ackles? The law tells us humans are inferior. They aren’t allowed outside after ten o’clock, whereas werewolves have no curfew. Humans can’t look after themselves.”

“The curfew wasn’t put in place for that reason,” Jensen said firmly. “That’s a common misinterpretation. The law was actually passed to protect humans. At the time, it was seen as easier to keep the humans off the street than stop the werewolves from harming them. But things have changed now and I think they should repeal that law and restrict the werewolves’ ability to harm humans.”

There was a stunned silence.

“So, what?” Matt said, eyes cold and narrowed. “You’re saying we should have a curfew? Just because some of them are too stupid to stay away from us?”

“They’re not stupid,” Jensen said, glaring. “They’re just… they can’t defend themselves in the same way that we can. Humans can do things that we can’t. It isn’t a mark of superiority or inferiority, it’s just a difference.”

“Like what?” a pale blonde girl demanded. “What can humans do that we can’t?”

“Well, they can…” Jensen looked thoughtful. “They can love in a way we can’t. Humans don’t need a mateship to stay together for life.”

“Humans don’t stay together for life,” someone else said angrily.

“Some do. And the ones that don’t usually leave for the right reasons.”

“How can you say that?” Matt demanded. “Your mother left your dad. If she hadn’t, your father wouldn’t have married that loser Richard Collins. You wouldn’t have to be related to his freak of a son!”

Jared glared at Matt, desperate to snap at him. Jensen responded before he could.

“I’m not gonna deny Misha and I aren’t the closest of friends,” Jensen said with a small grin. He was sitting up in his seat, shoulders relaxed but back ramrod straight. “And we probably wouldn’t have missed not having to live under the same roof. Hell, we might even have gotten on if we hadn’t been stepbrothers.”

The rest of the class looked skeptical.

“But one thing I do know is,” Jensen hesitated before continuing, his voice soft but still audible. “My dad and Richard Collins really, really love each other. I’ve met tons of werewolf couples in my life but I’ve never seen anyone look at each other the way that they do. And in the human world, it wouldn’t have been an issue. Two divorcees getting together? Most humans would have thought it was cute.”

“But they’re both male,” someone hissed at the back of the class.

Jensen shrugged. “Well, yeah, that might have been an issue. But not all humans are like that. In fact, most of them don’t mind at all. You just hear more from the ones that do.”  
Jared gazed at Jensen, eyes glowing. He hardly dared breathe, afraid that any moment now Jensen was going to call out, “April Fool’s!” and fall about laughing (even though it was the middle of March).

But he didn’t. And even as the rest of the class continued to bombard Jensen with questions, their eyes disbelieving and their expressions hostile, and Jensen responded in the same cool, measured voice, Jared was forced to face the fact his feelings for Misha’s stepbrother went far beyond platonic.  


*

“Uh oh. I recognize that look.”

Jared glanced round in surprise as he finished exchanging his weighty maths textbook for his considerably lighter history one. “Gen?”

“Don’t ‘Gen’ me,” the human in question said, eyes narrowed. “You’ve got a crush on Jensen Ackles.”

Jared glanced round in alarm, hissing, “Ssh!”

“Why should I?” she demanded, but luckily lowered her voice. “Jared, this is a national disaster!”

Jared couldn’t help laughing. This just seemed to infuriate Gen further.

“I’m serious! Having feelings for that – that jerk is the one thing that will without a doubt ruin your high school career! Before you know it you’ll be cutting classes and missing deadlines and shutting out your friends and talking back to teachers and, and –”

“Gen, don’t you think you’re overreacting just a tiny bit?”

“No!” she snapped, hugging her books close to her chest. Abruptly, her gaze softened, and she reluctantly shared a smile. “Maybe a little.”

Jared breathed a sigh of relief and fell into step with her as they headed towards their shared World History class.

“I just,” Gen sighed, “I don’t want to see you get hurt. The guy’s trouble.”

“I’m just talking to him,” Jared argued. “You act like I’ve already gone to bed with the guy.”

Gen stared at him, eyes wide and horrified. “By the Goddess, you’ve actually considered… Jared, Misha adores you. Don’t throw that away, especially not for Jensen Ackles. He only wants you because you’re the only person to have ever said no to him.”

There was enough truth in that last statement to wound. Still, Jared felt a bubble of annoyance well up inside him. “Fine. I may have a small thing for,” Jared glanced about nervously, “for that guy, but there is no way I would choose him over Misha. Never.”

Gen sighed in relief, shoulders relaxing. “Good. You still have some common sense left.”

Jared nudged her gently. “Could you be any more patronizing?”

“Oh, baby, you ain’t seen nothing yet,” she told him, smirking, and Jared rolled his eyes.

“And you’re worried about _Jensen_ getting in between me and Misha?”

Gen at least had the grace to look a little abashed.  


*

The messenger stepped into the room, head bowed. Tom Welling straightened up in his chair. At last. He’d almost begun to give up hope.

“Sir, it’s about Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s –”

“Jeffrey Padalecki,” Tom corrected smoothly. As proud as he was of his team for figuring out the man’s alias about a year ago, he would not normally say the name in public. Many, werewolf and human alike, resented Jeffrey Dean Morgan but there were more that encouraged his insane beliefs. Tom did not want to risk creating more support for the perpetual thorn in his family’s side by revealing his real identity.

At this moment, however, he was surrounded by his closes confidantes. Tom wasn’t a great believer in trust but he did like allies and sometimes you had to signal to your allies that you trusted them.

“It’s about Jeffrey Padalecki’s son.”

Tom raised a bored eyebrow. “Older or younger?” he asked, perfectly faking indifference.

The messenger, trembling slightly, kept her gaze on the floor. “Younger.” She paused, but Tom was not going to make her job easier by showing interest. He kept quiet and waited for her to continue, which she eventually did, her face bone white but her cheeks blood red. “He’s been seen… mixing with werewolves.”

Tom was tempted to ask, “And why does this matter to me?” just to watch her squirm, but he knew and everyone else in the room knew that this news did matter to him.

Damn Jeffrey Padalecki, and damn his pretty son. Tom’s father had told him Jared would be the death of him one day. Tom had resisted, even going so far as to carve their mark into Jared’s soft skin to prove he was the one calling the shots in their relationship. But now, several months later, and Tom was still as impossibly captivated with Jared as he always was.

“Werewolves, eh?” he repeated thoughtfully. The messenger tensed, no doubt expecting to bear the brunt of his anger. But Tom wasn’t angry. No, he was amused. Was this Jared’s attempt at getting over him then? He should have known better than that. Tom had taught him better than that. Seemed like Jared needed a reminder of who he belonged to.

His team wouldn’t complain. They knew who was in charge and, besides, they’d never liked Jared much anyway.  


*

Jared was opening up his locker at the end of the day, preparing to stuff as many books as possible into his bag and carry the extra. He always took everything home at the end of the day, though he couldn’t really explain why. He didn’t like leaving things at school overnight. Maybe it was because he was still expecting them to be stolen, like they would have been at some of his previous schools, even though these lockers did actually lock. Maybe it was because he was just a geek and liked to have his revision materials close to hand. Maybe –

There was a folded piece of paper on top of his biology textbook, and Jared knew he didn't put it there. Frowning, he glanced around, but no one was paying any attention to him – it was the end of a Friday school day, everyone was anxious to get out of the school environment. Jared adjusted his armful of textbooks, biting his lip as he wondered how the paper got there. He reminded himself it wasn’t a poisonous snake and picked it up, unfolding it slowly.

The note was simple, scrawled quickly in pen. Jared’s heart pounded as he read the words.

_Meet me outside the Forest of Diana at 11pm. We need to talk._

_Misha_

*

  


  
Chapter Six   


Jared glanced down at the scrap of paper in his hand; Misha’s cursive writing still spelling out the same words that had stunned him seven hours earlier. He suddenly noticed Misha’s writing was a little more flowery than usual, and rolled his eyes at himself for being so paranoid. What was he now, the handwriting inspector? Misha was probably just in a hurry, and Jared felt both nervous and excited at the thought of what was so important they had to meet outside like this. He had snuck out his bedroom window earlier on, heart pounding, hands clammy, convinced his parents were going to catch him half-out his window, helplessly wedged… but it had all gone like a charm. It was almost too easy. If Jared was a sentimental person, he would have said fate wanted them to meet.

But Jared wasn’t a sentimental person, thank you.

He refused to think too closely about what Misha might want to say, terrified of being disappointed. Maybe Misha had wanted to let him know in private that he had met someone else. But in spite of himself Jared stood a little taller, his heart beat a little faster and the air smelled of opportunity.

He waited, hopping from foot to foot, shivering in the cool night air. He was impatient but he was also early, so he wasn't too concerned when several minutes passed and there was no Misha.

He waited. Another several minutes passed and Jared would be lying if he tried to deny the flicker of unease in his stomach. It was only just past eleven, he reminded himself. It was his own fault for being early.

Another few minutes passed and the night seemed to become steadily darker. For a brief moment, Jared thought there was a reason humans weren't allowed out alone after curfew, but he pushed the thought away. He was nearly the same age as Misha, as Jensen, and he probably had twice as much sense as everyone in Jensen’s group put together. Not that it was nice to brag, of course. But he should be allowed out and he figured he deserved a free pass on this occasion. He’d never disobeyed the curfew before and he wasn't going to do it again – and it wasn't _really_ disobeying, because Misha would be here soon. He hoped.

And that was when a sharp cry split the air. Jared stood stock-still, straining his ears, and the cry came again, this time a little more desperate. Jared glanced around quickly but of course he was the only one there. He bit down on his bottom lip nervously but squared his shoulders and hurried forward. He was the only one around who could help and there was no way he was going to leave some poor person alone just because he was nervous of a forest.

It wasn't so dark inside, luckily; the moon provided a clear path through the shadowy forest. Jared heard the hoot of an owl and saw a flicker of red that might have been a fox and, despite his worry, the beauty of the forest was impossible to ignore. He thought he would like to show Sandy this sometime, and then remembered it could never be as late as this unless Misha was with them.

The cry came again, this time closer, but there was something… off about it. Jared frowned slightly and gave himself a mental shake as he pressed onwards and ducked his head to avoid a low-hanging branch. He hoped they weren't badly injured. He doubted his cell phone would work this far out of his neighborhood, given that he was on an exclusively human network. Jared had some first aid training but only the basics.

‘ _But Misha will be here soon_ ,’ he reminded himself.

“Hello?” Jared called out. He realized how quiet it became. “Are you okay?”  
There was a faint moan.

“Just hold on, I’m nearby! Can you tell me your name?”

There was a silence, a flutter of a bird’s wings – and then a low, masculine laugh.

Jared froze. “H-hello?”

There was a rustling noise behind him and Jared whirled round.

“Hello, Jared. So nice of you to drop by.” He squinted into the darkness and a tall, athletic figure wearing a sinister smile stepped forward into a patch of moonlight.

Jared stared at him, mind whirring. It was Matt Cohen.

“Not many in your position would,” Matt moved toward him swiftly, gracefully, and Jared took a clumsy step back, trying not to trip over tree roots. “In fact, I imagine the _last_ thing many would do in your position would be to come to the aid of someone like us. Strangely, enough, Jared,” Matt’s face flickered, the features temporarily becoming more wolflike, “I have a feeling it really will be the last thing you do.”

Jared stared at him. His heart rate picked up and some deep, primal part of him was begging him to run. “What are you talking about? What have you done with Misha?”

Matt laughed, baring his pearly-white teeth. “Oh, Jared. Not so bright after all, for all you’re supposedly our contemporary. Don’t you think it’s a little strange that dear Mish-Mish would want to meet you after the curfew? In a place like this that is far too scary-wary for weak little humans like yourself? Don’t you think that’s a little… out of character?”

Jared stood his ground, scowling. He wished he had paid closer attention to his instinct that something was wrong. “What do you want?”

“It’s not what I want,” Mat said with a put-upon sigh. “It’s what society insists upon. You do realize you turned down two pure-blooded werewolves for one with tainted lineage? Surely even you could see how that could be a problem.”

Jared’s eyes flickered side-to-side. He saw nothing beyond the thick barks of the trees, no clear escape route. “What – what are you going to do?”

Matt smiled, slow and chilling. “Use your imagination, Jared. I’m sure you’ll come to the right conclusion.”

Jared moved in what he thought was the direction he came from. Matt’s eyes followed him but the werewolf himself remained motionless.

“I don’t understand,” Jared blurted out. “What – why are you doing this? Why me?”

Matt stared at him thoughtfully as he stepped into a patch of moonlight, eyes losing a little of the humanity as he slowly began to shift.

“Why not?” he said.

*

Misha was agitated that evening, unable to concentrate on one thing for longer than a few minutes. It was driving Jensen nuts, listening to the rapid footsteps of his stepbrother as he flitted up and down the stairs and the series of crashes and bumps that came from his room to indicate Misha was doing goddess knew what. After what felt like hours of this torture, Jensen roused himself from his sofa to go and bang on Misha’s door.

There was a pause and Misha opened it, his eyes wild and his hair somehow messier than normal. “What?”

Jensen blinked at him but had no problem injecting anger into his voice. “Can you keep it down? Some of us want a bit of piece and quiet. What the fuck’s up with you anyway?”

Misha scowled, running a hand through his hair. Jensen winced, the sight of the messy black locks physically painful to look at. “It’s none of your business, Jensen. Go out if the noise is going to bother you that much.”

Jensen folded his arms. “No way.” So what if his housemates wouldn't normally see hide nor hair of him on a Friday night? If Misha wanted him out, then Jensen was staying in, simple as that. Besides, the others had rushed off after school with barely a goodbye. Jensen didn't do sissy things like being hurt, but he fully expected the situation to be explained to him when they next saw him. They were probably out at Twilight, the new downtown club (it was more like a brothel, in Jensen’s humble opinion, but he wasn’t complaining) and while he could go out and join them… Jensen didn't feel like it that evening.

“Is it Jared?” Jensen said, just to watch the flare of pain in Misha’s eyes. “Is he seeing someone else?”

Misha tried to shut the door in his face but Jensen was quicker and wedged his shoulder in the doorframe. Normally the two of them were matched in strength and speed, not that either of them would admit to it, but the full moon had made Misha clumsier and slower than normal. Jensen knew that when his stepbrother’s shift _did_ come he would be stronger and faster than ever for a brief evening but, until that night came (and Jensen planned to be in the next state over when it did), he would take pleasure in riling up Misha.

He found himself hoping the shift was soon, though. It was a little embarrassing to think of how powerful the dork was going to be.

“It’s nothing to do with Jare- him,” Misha said, which Jensen knew was a damn lie. “Just go away, Jensen, you’ve never had a problem with ignoring me before.”

Which was true, but then Misha had never given any indication he _wanted_ to be ignored before. “Is he refusing to take you back?” Jensen pretended to look sympathetic. “Well, when you _did_ break his heart in such a callous manner… have you tried chocolates? Humans go nuts for them… almost as nuts as they go for –”

Misha swung open the door, nearly making Jensen stumble into his room. His natural grace saved him, though.

“I’m going out!” Misha snapped at him over his shoulder as he hurried down the stairs. Jensen followed at a much more languid pace and peered over the banister to watch as Misha rummaged through the closet for a jacket and attempted to find a working flashlight.

“Where are you going?” he asked, neatly throwing himself down the stairs and landing next to Misha, who barely spared him a glance. “And don’t say ‘none of your business’ because, last I checked, it ain’t a place.”

“More’s the pity,” Misha retorted, but his heart clearly wasn’t in it. While he wasn’t looking, Jensen leaned in and snatched an object hidden under his father’s hiking equipment.

“Aww, c’mon. I’ll drive you.”

Misha’s eyes flashed to his incredulously. “ _You’d_ drive me? You told me you’d rip me apart and string me up by my intestines if I set foot near your car.”

“Me?” Jensen tried to look wounded. “I’d never say that. Besides, my car’s faster than your dad’s heap of scrap metal, and you know it.”

Misha hesitated, clearly torn.

“Besides,” Jensen slowly brought the flashlight out from behind his back, “there’s only one of these that has working batteries, and guess who’s holding it?”

Misha grit his teeth and gave a sharp nod. He tossed Jensen’s jacket at him with more force than necessary and stomped out to the car, Jensen following with a pleased smirk on his face.

“Where we going anyway?” he asked once they were sitting in the comfort of his pride and joy.

Misha leaned back against the seat and stared into the distance. “Forest of Diana.”

Jensen wrinkled his nose and Misha threw him a sharp look. “Where did you think we were going?” His eyes brightened despite his clear agitation. “If you want to duck out –”

Jensen jerked the car into gear and backed out of the driveway, craning to look out the back window. “Why we going there?”

Misha nibbled on his bottom lip. “Can you step on it? Please?”

Startled into obedience, Jensen did so – he couldn't resist an unnecessary rev of the engine and hoped the whole neighborhood heard them go. “Why? What’s there? I swear to the Goddess, Mish, if I’m taking you to a clandestine meeting with your human lover I better get a piece of the action –”

“I don’t know,” Misha’s voice, cool and distant, interrupted. “But I think you’d better hurry.”

Jensen shrugged and did so. He told himself he was just experimenting with being a good stepbrother, but there was a small part of him that was drawn to the Forest of Diana too.

It was at that moment his cell phone rang.

*

Jared didn't wait to watch the rest of Matt’s shift. He turned and ran through the forest, in the direction he thought he came from. The moon was half-obscured by a black cloud and branches tore at his exposed flesh. Jared batted them out of the way and tried to run faster but he had no idea where he was going, where the werewolf was. He couldn't quite believe this was happening, it was a nightmare. Any second now he was going to wake up, safe in his bed, heart pounding…

There was a howl, a flash of dark fur and Jared was reeling back, blood spurting from his arm. He screamed then, unable to stop himself, and ran faster. The pain he was expecting didn't come and he could hear nothing over the sound of his own heartbeat and his frantic breathing.

‘ _Please_ ,’ he thought. ‘ _Please, please…. show me the exit, let me get out of here alive, I don’t know where I’m going oh God oh God…_ ’

A cold laugh came from behind him. “But, Jared,” the werewolf (had to think of it as a werewolf, not as a boy he’d sat next to class and spoke to and never suspected –) said, low and taunting. “I thought this was what you wanted? You are dating a werewolf, after all. Or did you just want the human parts and not the rest? Ain’t the way the world works, sweetheart. Run, pretty boy. We’ve got all night to see just how fast you can run, how much you can bleed… how well you can beg.”

Jared, half-sobbing with fear and horror, ran faster, chancing a glance at the full moon. ‘ _It’s a powerful werewolf_ ,’ he thought in the midst of his terror, ‘ _to be able to shift into a human at full moon… very old and very powerful…_ ’

The werewolf laughed, there came a cracking noise as his bone structure changed – and the chase started up again.

*

‘ _When he holds you close, when he holds you near, when he says the words you’ve been needing to hear…_ ’

Jensen fumbled for the phone, struggling to open it one-handed. Misha glanced sharply at him but seemed content to gaze out the window once he determined Jensen wouldn't be letting up on the speedometer. The streets were quiet that time of night, which was perhaps to be expected given the neighborhoods they were streaming through were exclusively human.

“Can you hurry up with that?” Misha said, unnecessarily sharp. “That song’s driving me nuts.”

For a brief moment, Jensen was tempted to let the ring tone continue, maybe turn it up a little louder, but what if it was an emergency? If Matt had crashed and burned with the cute brunette at the bar in Twilight, Jensen wanted all the details.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Jen,” Katie’s honey-smooth tones sounded in his ear and Jensen sat up straighter, grinning. He could hear the excitement in her voice and it was infectious. He hoped Matt had crashed and burned publicly.

“He fell for it!” someone yelled in the background, and there came the sounds of giggling and exaggerated shushing from Katie.

Jensen frowned slightly. He was at the top of the pecking order at school, and he and everyone else knew that… but he would be lying if he said he didn’t occasionally feel insecure. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking over his shoulder, waiting for the axe to fall. It seemed damn unfair Misha was always so quietly confident. He had way more to be insecure about than Jensen did.

Then again, maybe Jensen would be confident too if Jared stared at him the way he stared at Misha.

“What’s happened?” Jensen said, trying to make his voice sound carefree and languid – trying not to assume the reason they were laughing had anything to do with him.

“Gimme the phone,” a male voice said insistently. “Jen? You’ll never guess what.” It was Chad, pleasure glittering in every syllable.

Jensen silently arched an eyebrow, taking the left turn sharply and shooting along the quiet country lane. They weren’t far now, which was just as well as Misha was beginning to get even twitchier. It made Jensen want to fidget too, for all he was far too cool for such things.

“It’s Misha’s little human!” Chad burst out, clearly too impatient to draw things out and make Jensen beg for information. “He fell for it.”

Jensen took the phone away from his ear and stared at it. Muted excited chatter continued to drift out, enough so that Misha actually tore himself away from staring out the window with glassy eyes.

“What’s up?” he said, attempting a sneer. “Has someone run out of hair gel?”

“Yeah?” Jensen said into the phone, avoiding eye contact with Misha. “What, uh, what did he fall for?”

Something in his tone made Misha look at him a little more closely.

“Jensen? Don’t you remember?” Chad sounded wounded.

Jensen forced a laugh, throat dry. “Course! So, uh, what’s happened?”

“He doesn’t remember!” Chad said incredulously, and then Katie’s voice was back in his ear.

“Come on, sweetie. I know it’s been a while but surely you’re not _so_ sex deprived your brain won’t work? We said last month that someone ought to show our virginal human what werewolves are _really_ like.”

Jensen stared straight ahead, barely seeing the road ahead at all. “What have you done?”

“Jensen?”

“Just tell me what you’ve done, Katie.”

She huffed. “So ungrateful. Here, I’ll put Chad on.”

“Katie, just tell me –”

“Jensen? Aren’t you happy? Don’t you want to come down?”

“Where are you?” Jensen barked out, and now neither he nor Misha was gazing at the road ahead.

“Forest of Diana,” Chad said, and Jensen felt as though he had been doused in holy water.

“Where’s Jared?”

Beside him, Misha went very, very still.

Chad laughed softly, the sound sending shivers up Jensen’s spine. “Yes. Where’s Jared? That is a good question. You know, humans should really learn not to be so… helpful. Take us, for example. We don’t give a damn about anyone but ourselves. We would never stoop to helping someone from another clique, injured or not.”

“Who’s injured?”

“Jensen?” Misha said, low and urgent. “Jensen, what –”

“Relax, none of us. I have a feeling your brother’s ex-fucktoy won’t look so pretty after this, though.”

Jensen’s lips felt numb. “By the Huntress, what have you done?”

He could taste Chad’s satisfaction, dark and oily. “Nothing the little slut didn’t deserve. Should know better than to screw over a bunch of werewolves, even if the werewolf’s Misha. Especially if the werewolf’s you. Matt will be happy, though. He doesn’t often get to hunt virgins.”

The world spun crazily for a moment and then sharpened into focus, every dust particle highlighted. Jensen screeched to a halt on the quiet country road, nearly sending Misha hurtling through the windshield. He didn't have time to mock his stepbrother for being lax on road safety.

Jensen yanked open his car door and stumbled out, grabbing his flashlight on the way. He heard Misha following suit and chose to ignore him. “Get him out.”

“What?”

He knew Chad had heard him, no matter how quietly he spoke. “Get him out, damn you! What the hell were you thinking?”

Chad’s reply was lost as Misha seized him by the shoulders and yanked him around, his blue eyes wild with fear. “Jensen, what the hell’s going on?”

Staring at Misha, desperation lined as clearly in his face as it was in Jensen’s heart, made Jensen open his mouth and say perhaps the first honest thing he had ever said to his stepbrother.

“It’s Matt. He’s – he’s got Jared.”

Misha’s face turned ashen.

*

Later, neither of them would remember much about happened next. Jared’s blood would never truly come out of the upholstery and Jensen would always have a scar on his upper arm and Misha would always have three parallel wounds along his side. Neither Jensen nor Misha would ever forget the smell of Jared’s blood, coppery and sweet, and the sick taste of his panic and the way his eyes grew dimmer and dimmer as they drove manically to the hospital and his soft cries of pain grew quieter and quieter. There was talk about their shifts – _both_ of their shifts – once they got to the hospital, as well as alerting the police and contacting their families but it wasn't until they were sitting in the waiting room and still waiting on news of the boy they both cared for that they began to realize it was not a nightmare.

The earlier conversation in the ambulance played in Jensen’s mind.

_Misha’s wounds healed differently from his. Jensen’s bruises healed all at once, his skin resealing itself together layer by layer. Misha’s body, however, focused on one part of the wound rather than the whole._

_“What are you looking at?” Misha rasped, voice almost too soft for even Jensen to hear. His voice lacked its usual antagonism, which was maybe why Jensen answered._

_“Just the differences between us.”_

_There was a long pause and Misha turned to gaze at him with dead eyes._

_“The similarities are greater.”_

_“… Yeah,” Jensen acknowledged._

_They didn’t speak again for the rest of the journey._

Jensen shifted into the comfortable hospital chair. It was a werewolf hospital, so they had the very best of everything, but they agreed to… given the state Jared was…

Jensen didn't want to think about Jared. Beside him, Misha was practically catatonic, blue eyes staring into nothing. Neither of them had been given painkillers, their wounds not that serious, but Jensen felt as numb and dazed as if he had been. He thought instead of the Padalecki family, and how glad he was that he wasn't the one who had to call them and tell them that their son, well… and a sudden thought crosses his mind. He turned to Misha.

“Do you think the Padaleckis have a car?”

Misha looked at him blankly and Jensen wasn't sure he was even seeing him at all. After a few moments though, Misha blinked lazily and there was a spark of clarity.

“Yes,” he said, his voice as dry as sawdust. “Jared’s mother… she has a car.”

They didn't say another word to other. They fought off a fellow werewolf side by side and yet they might as well have been strangers. Eventually, the silence became suffocating.

“Be right back,” Jensen mumbled as he rose, but he didn't think Misha even heard him.

*

The prayer room in the hospital was beautiful, even an atheist like Jensen could see that. It was small but not cramped. White candles flickered on all available surfaces and the light overhead was dim. There was a small stained glass window up ahead, all colors of the rainbow, and the entire mood was one of complete calm. Jensen wanted to be soothed, more than anything, but he stepped inside and the room was just a room. A pretty room, but a room nonetheless.

He sighed and made his way to the front of the room. Jensen wished he had Jared’s faith… and then Jared’s pale, bleeding body flashed into his mind like a stroke of lightening and Jensen shuddered. Jared may have had faith, but he still lay dying on a hospital gurney…

Jensen closed his eyes firmly and did his best to stop thinking. He couldn't have thoughts like that. He needed to be strong, for Jared and especially for Misha. This entire mess was his fault and he needed to find some way of fixing it.

He sat down on one of the wooden chairs, staring up at the marble statue. Jensen squinted at it for awhile and eventually decided it was the Goddess of the Hunt. It was difficult to tell at times; all the goddesses look the same to him, long-haired and fine-featured. The Goddess of the Hunt was the one most of the population prayed to – or, at least, most of the population of werewolves. Jensen knew that the Goddess of Love was the one Jared favored, and he wished it was her up ahead instead.

He sat and sat, but Jensen didn't feel relaxed. He just felt awkward, uncomfortable in his own skin, fiercely longing to return to Jared.

_‘If you’re up there,_ ’ he thought silently. _‘If there’s anyone up there at all… then please, please. He doesn’t deserve this. If you’re going to punish anyone, punish me, but let Jared live. I’ll do anything.’_

It felt strange; Jensen had never prayed of his own accord.

“Why do you do it?” He remembered asking Jared once.

The younger boy looked thoughtful. “Because it feels right,” he had eventually answered. “Because I know someone’s listening to me.”

Jensen waited and waited, but it didn't feel like anyone at all was listening to him. Maybe the deities preferred people to come to them of their own accord, rather than as a last resort.

This was Jensen’s last resort, though, and he already knew it was a lost cause. If… if Jared didn't make it, it wouldn't be because they didn’t save him – it would be down to Jensen and Jensen alone.

He stood up and returned to wait with Misha.

*

The Padaleckis arrived at some point. Jared’s parents, white-faced and trembling, strode up to the receptionist’s desk without a glance at anything or anyone surrounding them. Jared’s cousin, Sandy, was close on their heels and the two older men who followed gripped one another’s hands tightly, the fiercer-looking one’s eyes flickering about anxiously. He stopped short when his gaze landed on Jensen and Misha.

“Jensen?” Steve said in surprise. “Misha?” His gaze landed on their bandages, their haunted eyes. “What happened to you guys? What _happened_?”

Sandy hurried over, face tight with frustration, but her face smoothed out in shock when she caught sight of them. “What are _you_ two doing here?”

It was a long, painful story – Jensen told most of it, as Misha didn't seem able to. By the end of it, he could barely look any of them in the eye. He dearly wished he had never met Danneel Harris, Chad Murray or Matt Cohen. All he felt for them in that moment was utter hatred.

“Jared Padalecki?” the nurse called and Sandy was by his side in a shot. It was at that moment Misha finally found his voice.

“Can you… can you tell us what they say?” he swallowed. “Please?”

Samantha nodded and tried for a reassuring smile that convinced nobody. “Of course, sweetie. I’m sure,” she took a deep breath, “I’m sure…”

But not even she could bear to say the lie.

*

The Padaleckis came out minutes later, though it felt like hours. One look at their faces and Jensen wished they had taken hours longer. He didn't want to hear what they had to say. He was barely holding on as it was.

Sandy was crying silently, her eyes swollen. Chris looked as if he was about to keel over and Steve had a firm arm wrapped around him, though he looked just as shell-shocked. The less said about Jeff and Sam, the better.

Chris, Steve and Sandy vanished down the corridor without a backwards glance but Sam guided her husband towards them, though she cast a longing glance over her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she said. “If you hadn’t gotten him here so quickly… just thank you.”

“Is he all right?” Misha said, wide and desperate.

Samantha’s eyes filled with tears. Jeff stared at them for a long moment before his eyes focused.

“He’s in a coma. They don’t know,” Jeff swallowed painfully and his wife’s grip on his arm tightened, “they don’t know if he’s ever going to wake up.”

Misha covered his mouth with his hand and Jensen felt like he was about to faint.

“I think it’s best if you leave,” Jeff said coldly. “I’m sure your parents will be worried.”

“We’ll let you know if – if anything –” Once again, Samantha couldn't finish her sentence, and it was her husband’s turn to support her. He looked at Misha and Jensen with distant eyes, devoid of all emotion.

“I’d like you to leave now.”

Neither of them argued, though they both wanted to. It was doubtful Sebastian or Richard had any idea what had been going on, given they both went out to a theater performance just outside the state and chose to leave their cell phones at home. Jensen felt completely cut off from reality, struggling to believe there was no way to turn back time and erase the last few hours.

“Wait!”

It was Jared’s older brother who came running up to them. He was shorter than both of them, but broader in the shoulders and torso, a body built for power. His hair was tangled and greasy, his eyes wide and fearful. He looked nothing like his more delicate younger brother but he seemed almost as young in that moment. His glare, though, was one of a far more powerful being.

“It’s Jensen Ackles, right?” his voice was more of a snarl. “Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins?”

They both nodded, though it was obvious he knew who they were.

Chris leaned in, eyes flashing fire.

“If he dies,” he said, low and pained, “you die too.”

*

“You don’t think…” Sandy was the first to break the silence as they stood frozen in the doorway of their youngest’s hospital room. She swallowed, eyes glassy. “You don’t think Jared did it _deliberately_ , do you?”

There was a small silence.

“What?” Chris said incredulously, rounding on his cousin. “Fucking hell, Sands,” his parents didn't even bother to correct him, “where did that come from? Of course Jared wouldn’t… he couldn’t…”

“Chris is right,” Samantha said, with a firmness she didn't truly feel. “Jared would never do something like that.” She swallowed and stepped into the room, dragging her seat as close to Jared as physically possible. She could hardly bare to look at him, so impossibly broken, but neither could she drag her eyes away. The rest of them slowly followed suit.

Sandy hunched a shoulder miserably and Steve wrapped his arm round her protectively. “But why was he out after curfew? Why was he there of all places? It just… it doesn’t make sense.”

Chris made a fist and punched his hand, glowering. “Bet it has something to do with that werewolf he was so fond of, that Michael Crowley –”

“Misha Collins,” Sandy corrected softly.

“And as for Ackles…” Chris subsided into angry muttering. “I don’t care what the staff say, they didn’t save his life –”

“We don’t know that, Christian,” Jeff said with a tired sigh. “But Jared will… Jared can tell us when he wakes up.”

They all surveyed the pale, drained body of their youngest. Jared was nearly the tallest of them all but he had never looked smaller, more vulnerable. His hand laid limply off the side of the bed and without thinking Sam took it in hers, silently willing her child to take some of her strength.

This was the last thing she expected when she woke up that morning and she felt as though she was in a dream. She would give anything to be able to wake up.

Jared’s skin was clean but his body – from what they could see – was covered in wounds, stitched with ugly black thread. Samantha stared at him but all she could see was grotesque Halloween stickers, the sort that made her shiver and protest against her babies being covered like that which only made Chris and Sandy and Jared want them all the more as children. She couldn't connect the Jared in her mind – vibrant, quiet, eyes sparking with intelligence and eagerness – with this still boy who laid before her.

This was not her child.

It couldn't be.

His hair was stiff with dried blood and his face was drained of color. Were it not for the slow rise and fall of his chest, she would think she had already lost him. Jared was still in a way he'd never been before, not even when he was asleep. Jared was the most terrible fidget, she thought distantly, before fear slashed through her.

_Is_. Jared _is_ the most terrible fidget. It didn’t matter what these people said, her _baby would_ wake up, she just knew it.

He had to.

She didn’t think she could go on without him.

*

The journey home was over impossibly quickly. Misha didn't glance at him once and bolted out of the car just as Jensen touched the brake pedal as though he couldn't stand the sight of him, but Jensen didn't even register it. It didn't matter if Misha blamed him. All that mattered was Jensen blamed himself, completely and utterly.

“And what time do you two call this?” Sebastian said indignantly as they entered, making both of them feel as though they’d shed a layer of skin in fright. Sebastian was standing with his arms folded, scowling, but there was a twinkle in his eye. He obviously thought the two of them had been ‘bonding’.

“Lay off, Seb,” Richard called from the kitchen. “We only just got in ourselves.”

Jensen thought dully back to pulling into the driveway and realized then Sebastian’s car was also there.

Misha didn't spare any of them a glance but hurried up the stairs. Sebastian’s smile flickered.

“Jensen?” he said, and it was the concern in his voice that got to Jensen. He couldn't remember the last time his dad sounded concerned when speaking to him, just accusatory.

“Dad,” Jensen sounded impossibly young. “Dad, I’ve really screwed up.”

Sebastian stared at him, paralyzed for a brief moment. He had no idea what to do, no idea how to comfort his flesh and blood, and it scared him just how wide the rift between them had grown. He took a step forward though and so did Jensen and then his son was in his arms and sobbing in a way he hadn't since he was more than half his size. Sebastian tentatively wrapped his arms around his son, briefly marveling over how tall and strong Jensen had become, and struggled to find the right words.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, trying to sound soothing. “It’s okay, Jensen. I’m here. Whatever it is, we can fix it.”

“We can’t,” Jensen said, his breathing ragged. “We can’t. Oh Goddess, Dad, I’ve really… I’ve really fucked up.”

Sebastian sensed this wasn't the moment to reprimand him for his language. “Just tell me what it is,” he urged softly. “It might not be as bad as you think.”

Jensen pulled away, rubbing angrily at his eyes, clearly ashamed of his tears. “You don’t understand,” he said thickly. “It’s… it’s Jared.”

Dread rose up in Sebastian. He couldn't begin to imagine how Misha’s (ex, by all accounts) boyfriend related to Jensen, and he couldn't begin to imagine what was so awful that had Jensen _crying_. His son hadn't even cried when his mother died, just sat blank-eyed and emotionless.

“Just tell me what it is,” he said, and the entire horrific story came gushing out in their immaculate upper-class home.

*

He opened his eyes and gazed straight ahead. The world around him was silent. The landscape was dry and deserted, the ground pale and dusty and the sky a watery blue. He felt neither hot nor cold and, for a long moment, he did not think anything at all.

His memory flashed back with a fierceness that was almost painful and Jared instantly remembered who he was and who his loved ones were. He shivered, unable to believe he had forgotten. It was like waking up from a dream and being unable to recall where he was for a brief moment – but much worse than that, because Jared had never forgotten who he was before.

What he couldn't remember, though, was why he was there. Or even where he was. The world around him was unrecognizable and there was no one in sight. He gazed down at himself and saw his body was as pale and faded as the landscape. He remembered pain and fear and flashes of light but it hurt too much and so he didn't probe further. He gazed around and, with no help visible, did the only thing he could:

He walked.

*

“Mr. Padalecki, please. I need to see him.”

“Haven’t you and your brother done enough, Jensen? Jared wouldn’t have even _been_ out there if it wasn’t for –”

“It’s my fault, sir, not Misha’s. But _please_. I – we only want a minute.”

*

Jared didn't know how long he walked for. It could have been minutes, it could have been hours, it could have been eternities. The landscape didn't seem to change at all and his footsteps made no marks in the ground. Strangely enough, this didn't worry Jared. He felt at ease there, as though he could breathe long and slow for the first time in… well, the first time in forever. As long as he kept putting one foot ahead of the other, he would be okay.

He blinked and a cabin appeared. For a moment, he slowed, frantically recalling everything he had read about mirages. But the feeling of being safe and protected quickly returned and Jared shrugged to himself, deciding to walk towards it.

The cabin was small, the walls painted white. There was a figure standing in the doorway, patiently watching him approach, as though the two of them had all the time of the world.

He was still several yards away when he realized who she was. For a moment, he couldn't breathe, caught up in the shock and wonder. Then he was running towards her, towards the woman with the long white plait and the brightly-colored dress and the eyes that match his down to each individual eyelash.

“Babcia!” He gasped out and then her thin but surprisingly strong arms were wrapping around him and an eternity passed before either of them felt ready to speak.

His grandmother withdrew first, reaching up to cup his face in her gnarled hands. She looked better than she ever did when she was – when Jared knew her. Her skin was wrinkled but her eyes were bright and there was a glow about her.

“Look at you,” she said warmly and tears sprung to his eyes. “All grown up. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were taller than our Jeff now!”

Jared sniffed. He couldn't stop smiling. Two tears ran down his cheeks and over her hands before he could stop them. “I’m taller than Chris now and mom thinks I’ll be taller than dad before the year’s up.”

“And how’s that mischief-maker of an elder brother of yours getting on these days?” she asked with a conspiratorial smile. Chris always insisted Jared was her favorite but Jared didn't think that was it. He and his grandmother just had an understanding, that was all. When she was…

“Am I dead?” he whispered. A beat passed and he wondered if he truly wanted to know the answer.

She gazed at him with unfathomable eyes and moved her hands to take hold of his larger one.

“Look,” she whispered.

He peered down and realized that there was a transparency about his skin that was not there in hers. Her hands were as dotted with age spots and wrinkled as they always were but there was a glow to them that was absent in his.

“What does that mean?”

“You’re not dead, pieseczku,” she said, as blunt as always. “At least, not yet. But you’re very close.”

Jared tried to think back to his parents, his siblings… to Jensen and Misha. The wind gently ruffled his hair and, as he gazed about the barren landscape, he realized he felt cut off from them already. He might as well have been dead.

“No,” his grandmother said sharply, correctly guessing his line of thought. “No, Jared, no. You have to go back.”

His eyes flashed to hers and he was unable to hide his hurt. “You don’t want me to stay?”

Her expression softened. “Oh, Jared. I want you to stay very much. You cannot think how I’ve missed you and your family. But it isn’t your time.”

“But I’m here,” he whispered. “You said that I’m –”

“Your body’s weak. You’re in a coma, and the doctors aren’t sure you’ll ever wake up.” She reached up to brush away a strand of hair from his forehead. “But I know differently. You’re my strong boy and no matter how hard it gets you never, ever give up.”

Just for a moment, Jared clung to her. “I don’t want to leave you.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want you to leave either. I’d give anything for you to stay. But it’s not your time, Jared. They need you more than I do.”

She was still undeniably his grandmother, his Babcia, but she looked healthier than she ever did when he knew her. He peered closer and realized the constant grief in her eyes had all but disappeared.

“Are you happy?” he whispered because he wanted to be certain.

She smiled at him; the same warm smile he missed so much. “So happy, my darling.”

“Was it… quick?” He felt it was childish to ask but his grandmother didn't hesitate. She nodded firmly.

“I never even realized what was happening.”

He didn't know if she was telling the truth, but it was a comforting thought. His grandmother was discovered in her bed the day after her seventy-first birthday, her pulse gone and her face empty. His father had talked about the peaceful smile on her face when they had found her, but Jared had never remembered that in the brief moments before his mother tugged him away. The cause of death was unknown, though he once heard his father say she had died of a broken heart: one of her children dead, the second serving a life sentence in prison and the third following in her late husband’s footsteps and campaigning for equality in a time where it was still a poisonous word.

“I miss you,” Jared said. There was so much he wanted to say, he didn't know where to start. “I love you.”

She gently lowered his head and pressed a firm kiss to his forehead. “I love you, pieseczku,” she whispered. “But you need to wake up. It’s time to wake up, Jared.”

*

The Padalecki family was just down the corridor and watching the precious seconds tick by on the clock. Jensen and Misha had given their solemn oath to be out in five minutes and to instantly come get them if anything changed, but it was clear none of them expected it to. It had been nearly two weeks, and everything that made Jared the person they loved seemed to have disappeared.

Misha wanted to believe Jared was at peace, wherever he was. But Jared’s face just looked empty, his chest slowly rising and falling with the machine that was breathing for him, giving him life when a werewolf who had still to be captured by authorities took it away.

They both stood by the door, neither of them willing to go any closer for a minute. Jared looked impossibly vulnerable, lying thin and pale on the crisp white sheets. But they didn't bargain with Jeff not to at least sit beside him.

“It’s my fault,” Jensen said finally. “If I’d… if I’d just realized what they were up to…”

Misha shook his head. “It’s my fault,” he said softly. “If Jared and I hadn’t fallen out… he would have realized that note wasn’t from me…”

“It’s my fault,” a dry, hoarse and very much alive voice said from the bed. “I shouldn’t have gone in the forest.”

Jensen and Misha stared at him and Jared managed a small grin. He was pale, scarred and his hair fell lank and greasy over his forehead, but he had never looked more beautiful.

*

  


  
Chapter Seven   


“It was my fault,” Misha said with a soft sigh, practically petting Jared’s hair as they lay curled up together.

“Your fault?” Jared twisted round to look Misha in the eye; the werewolf avoided his gaze, staring intently into the distance. “Of course it wasn’t, Mish. Explain how you got to that conclusion.”

“If we hadn’t been fighting –”

“Misha –”

“Let me finish. Please,” Misha finally met his gaze and Jared, horrified, finally caught a glimpse of the self-loathing burning in the other’s eyes. Nonetheless, he kept quiet, trusting this was something that needed to be said aloud.

“If we hadn’t been fighting,” Misha took a shuddery breath, “they wouldn’t have been able to trick you. You would have known something was wrong and you didn’t. I shouldn’t have argued with you.”

Jared sighed, curling into Misha’s ever-warm embrace. “Doesn’t that make it my fault then?” he said softly. “I should have known something was wrong and I didn’t.”

Misha jerked, glaring at him. “Don’t talk rubbish, Jared. Of course it isn’t your fault. Goddess, of everyone involved, you’re the least to blame.”

A small smile tugged at Jared’s lips. “Now take exactly what you’ve just said and pretend I said it to you.”

A moment passed. “I’d be pretty annoyed if you called me ‘Jared’.”

Jared just burrowed closer, hiding his smile against the curve of Misha’s neck.

“Beats being called ‘Jensen’, I suppose,” Misha said lightly. “Sascha did that once. When we were… you know.”

“Oh.” In spite of himself, Jared stiffened. None of Tom’s past conquests had bothered him; on the contrary, it was a relief to be with someone experienced who knew exactly what they were doing. With Misha, though, Jared couldn’t help the little snakes of jealousy that coiled in his stomach whenever Misha mentioned a significant other.

As though reading his thoughts, Misha kissed him on the forehead. “You know you’re the only one for me,” he said, a smile on his face but his tone entirely serious.

“Ditto,” Jared said softly.

He didn’t dream at all that night.

*

“It isn’t your fault,” Jared said quietly. He hated the hopeless look in Jensen’s eyes. It’d been several weeks since he opened his eyes and he could count on one hand the number of times he had seen Jensen or Misha. He couldn't quite explain why he was so desperate to see them, but all he knew was that he felt impossibly comforted when he did.

The older boy didn't even look up. “It is.”

“You need to stop blaming yourself. Please, Jensen. For me.”

Jensen looked up at him then and Jared was startled to find the green eyes full of tears. “How can you say that to me? You’re here because of me. Your – your life’s ruined because of _me_.”

Jared forced a scowl. “I’m not dead yet, Jensen.” He meant to remind the older boy that worse could have happened, but Jensen just looked stricken.

Impulsively, Jared reached across and took Jensen’s cold hand in his. “I’m still here,” he said, silently imploring Jensen to meet his gaze. “And I want you to stop blaming yourself. It’s not going to fix anything.”

Jensen stared back at him, his eyes wide. “How can you say that?” he whispered. “How can you even stand to look at me after what I – after I –”

“You didn’t do anything,” Jared said, and gave Jensen’s hand a firm squeeze to emphasize his point. “You saved my life, Jens, that’s all. If it hadn’t been for you and Misha…” Jared fell silent and not just because he knew Jensen got the point. He could hardly bear to think back to that night, to the darkness and the all-encompassing panic, but Jared knew how much worse it could have been.

Jared went to withdraw his hand, but Jensen’s grip tightened. He shot the older boy a suspicious look, wondering if Misha was about to walk in. He couldn't help but snort silently at how normal this felt, juggling Jensen and Misha. As annoying and frustrating as it was, Jared almost welcomed it now. Anything to go back to how things used to be.

Jensen blinked at him, confused, and Jared just smiled and slowly but firmly pulled away. Misha came in several minutes later, arms full of goodies from his vending machine raid across the road, and Jared’s eyes lit up. Even in a werewolf hospital, the food was still disgusting.

It was near the end of Misha and Jensen’s visit when Jared finally plucked up the courage to ask the question that had been bothering him ever since he woke up.

“Can I…” Jared swallowed painfully. “Can I see?”

Jensen frowned at him in confusion but Misha was shaking his head almost before Jared finished. “Jare, I really don’t think that’s a good idea…”

“Please,” Jared said, with a firmness he didn't feel. “Give me the mirror.”

There was a small handheld mirror lying face down at the other end of the room, put there by a nurse (he thought). Jared hadn't dared even look at it at first, and then he hadn't dared ask for it from one of his family members. But he felt ready now, or as ready as he was ever going to be.

Neither of them moved for a long moment but, in the end, it was Jensen who passed it over, his lips pressed together as though holding back protesting words.

Jared’s hands shook as he gripped the handle. He knew he looked bad, he knew from the way his family gazed at him and from what he had felt of his own face, but he tried to tell himself it didn’t really matter, that looks weren’t important, and he flipped the mirror around before he had a chance to change his mind.

He couldn’t hold back his sharp inhale of breath.

The person staring back didn't look like him. His eyes were haunted, that was the first thing Jared noticed. But it fled from his mind almost as quickly. He raised a trembling hand to his face and touched the horrible garish wounds carefully, just to be sure that it was really him, that this… _monster_ looking back was really him. He looked like something from a horror film. He was beyond ugly, he looked terrifying, the sort of thing young children would run screaming from.

“I’m hideous,” he breathed aloud.

Misha’s hand wrapped firmly around his and gently pried the mirror out of his lax grip. “The very last thing you are is hideous,” he said and Jensen gave an emphatic nod behind him. “You’re still you, Jared. You’re still beautiful.”

Jared wasn’t the sort of person to cry easily. As a child, he often gave the impression he was seconds away from sobbing – not because he was sad, but because it tended to get him what he wanted. From the age of four, Jared quickly cottoned on to the fact that if there was something he wanted (the last cookie in the jar, say, or his big brother’s undivided attention) all he had to do was widen his eyes and tear up slightly and it was his. Jared had always been small and skinny – it was part of what made his current height so satisfying, even if he was still on the skinny side – so he probably could have gotten away for longer than he did, but at ten he decided he wanted to be ‘grown-up’ like Chris and that meant an end to the oh-so successful tactic. So, in actual fact, Jared couldn't remember the last time he properly cried. He didn't cry when Tom held him down in that dark alleyway and carved the hateful insignia of the militia group into the small of his back. It burned like nothing Jared had ever experienced but he didn't cry, then or in the aftermath. Tom had stolen his hope, his innocence and his happiness – he wouldn't give the other boy the satisfaction of stealing his tears.

Jared cried now though, deep, wrenching sobs like he never had. It wasn't really the loss of his looks, though that hurt too, for all Jared was never really a looks-conscious person before this. It was because he would always carry the scars of this, always look in the mirror and be reminded. It was worse than Tom’s mark. It was a mistake Jared could never recover from and, even as Misha wrapped him in a tight hug and Jensen patted his shoulder awkwardly, Jared felt completely alone.

*

“You need to confess.” Jensen could hardly believe he had to say the words.

Matt’s sigh echoed down the line. “Why? They can’t prove it was me.”

It took Jensen several moments to find his voice. “What? I’ll – I’ll tell them it was you. You can’t get away with this.”

“Jensen, don’t be a fool. What’ll that achieve? And the slut had it coming, you said so yourself.”

Jensen’s fingers turned white with the force of his grip on the phone.

“Jen, come on. I’m your best friend. Are you really going to hand in your best friend for a mere human? You’ve know me for years, man, and you only just met him. He’s all hung up on your brother anyway. Why not just let things be? Why stir up trouble?”

“Because trouble’s already here!” Jensen barely recognized his voice, full of ice and hatred.

Matt’s harsh breathing sounded in his ear. “What?” he said, low and confused. “You’re – you’re siding with the humans on this? After everything they’ve done?”

“What?” Jensen barely resisted the urge to punch the wall until his fist was bloody and bruised. “What have they done? They exist, that’s all. They exist and we treat them like shit and it’s got to stop.”

“Why?” Matt’s confidence returned in a heartbeat. “It’s the way the world works. Why fix something that isn’t broken? You know we’re better than them. We’re stronger, faster, smarter, hotter – what more do you need to know we’re superior?”

Jensen, breathing as though he had ran a marathon, hissed out, “Try being _better_ ,” and disconnected the call.

*

“I just don’t understand…” Jensen swallowed back his pain, his anger, and tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible. He couldn't afford to show his true feelings. The people he was with smelled weakness like a shark smelled blood. “I just don’t understand why you did it.”

Matt and Chad stared at him and Katie tilted her head to the side. Her blonde hair fell loose and lovely over one pale shoulder and Jensen wondered what he had ever seen in these three.

“We thought it would make you happy,” she said finally. “We thought it would be like… a gift.”

“A gift?” Jensen spit out. “He could have died. He nearly did.”

“But he’s human,” Chad said, small and bewildered. “They all die. What does it matter?”

Jensen knew then he could never make them understand. This knowledge didn't make him any less angry, any less bitter and frustrated as he clawed at his mental cage.

Katie laid a gentle hand on his arm. It felt like she was trying to chain him to her. “Jensen, we thought this was what you wanted. Remember? You wanted it… Jared, you wanted Jared to know what werewolves were really like.”

Jensen shrugged her off. “No, Katie. The rest of you wanted that.”

A small frown tugged at her full mouth, her brow scrunching in thought.

“Isn’t that the same thing?” she said finally, quiet and lost.

Jensen snorted, looking away to hide the emotion bleeding from his eyes.

“We’re not going to apologize,” Matt said, cold and hard as ice. “We thought it was for the best. But it’s… sad you don’t see it like we see it.”

Chad’s eyes suddenly brightened and he nudged Jensen. “Hey! Freak alert!”

Jensen glanced over, dread building in his stomach. It was Genevieve Cortese, nose in the air and steps sure and confident. She was close enough to have heard them but paid no attention, tossing her long dark hair over one shoulder as she waited by the library printers.

Jensen had liked Genevieve once. Perhaps he still did. After she abandoned their group without a backward glance all he was allowed to feel was hatred.

“Can’t you do that somewhere else?” Matt called over to Genevieve. “It’s bad enough having to see you in class, can’t we get a bit of peace?”

Genevieve tucked a strand of hair behind one ear and did not look around.

Jensen would die before admitting it, but he envied her confidence. He envied the confidence of all her friends, their complete and utter trust in one another. He envied the fact Milo could come into school looking like he'd just woken up, no concern for his appearance and how others would view him. He envied the fact Misha could talk passionately about class work and have his friends laugh and chat back. He envied the fact Genevieve could be honest with her friends about who she was and never felt the need to hide.

“What’s wrong, weirdo?” Chad said. “Deaf as well as human?”

Most of all, Jensen envied the fact the three of them could bare their souls to the world and not fear rejection. The fact they could be exactly who they were with Jared without having to keep their defenses up.

Jensen wanted that. He didn’t want to be a geek like Misha, and he didn’t want to look as scruffy as Milo, but he wanted to walk down the hallways with a genuine smile on his face with people he could trust. He wanted to be able to leave high school with his sense of self intact, even if he was on the very bottom rung of the social hierarchy. Even if he was not even there.

“Jensen?” Katie was frowning at him. “What’s wrong?”

Jensen bit his lip, tasted a hint of his own bland blood. He felt sick to his stomach.

“Why do you do that?” he was looking at Matt but he was talking to all of them, even the members of the group that weren’t here. “She didn’t ask to be born human. She never did anything to you.”

Chad stared. “She was born. Isn’t that enough?”

“Where’s this coming from?” Katie said sharply.

“Jensen, come on,” Matt gave him a small, confused smile. “There has to be a them to be an us. You know this.”

Jensen looked at sharp, languid Matt; smirking, bright-eyed Chad; beautiful, cold Katie, and realized that he couldn’t afford to be a part of this any longer.

“Jensen?” Katie said in confusion as he stood up. “Are you going to class?”

He spared her a glance as he gathered up his belongings. “No.”

Chad blinked. “Where _are_ you going then? If you’re gonna toss that freshman in the dumpster again, I’ll –”

Jensen turned around and walked away, eyes looking straight ahead. He thought briefly of sitting on his own in the cafeteria, of nights in because he didn’t have any friends to go out with, of dreading school the way all the people he’d picked on over the years have dreaded school, and shrugged to himself.

“Jensen!” Katie called after him. Out of the corner of his eye, Jensen could see Genevieve had paused, mouth half-open as she watched.

“Jensen!” Chad said.

“You can’t just walk away from us,” Matt said, his voice low and clear. He’d always been half a step behind Jensen throughout school, snapping at his heels. It made sense he understood some of Jensen after that much time watching the enemy. “Not even you can do that, Ackles.”

Jensen paused by the library door, savoring their sigh of relief. If there was one thing they all hated, it was change. He looked back at them once and smiled, sharp and cutting.

“Watch me.”

*

“Jensen,” Sheriff Kurt Fuller looked up from his messy desk with a welcoming smile. “What brings you to these parts?”

Jensen felt full to bursting with pent-up emotion but he forced himself to smile. Fuller was an old family friend, but if there was one thing he valued it was manners. “Hi, Sheriff. Wondered if you could spare a moment?”

Fuller’s smile did not waver. “For my favorite unofficial nephew? Anything.” He pushed his stack of papers to one side and gestured for Jensen to take a seat. “Now, what seems to be the problem?”

Jensen sat on the edge of the seat, muscles tense. “It’s about my… friend. Jared.”

There was no hint of recognition in Fuller’s eyes. Then again, there had been little mention in the papers about what happened to Jared.

“Jared Padalecki, son of –” Jensen paused, because Fuller’s eyes had darkened.

“Oh,” the older man said, smile strained. “Yes. I’m familiar with that family.”

“So you know what happened,” Jensen said in relief. He had not relished the idea of rehashing the horrible event.

“Yes,” Fuller said, clasping his palms together and gazing at Jensen with an unreadable expression on his face. “Yes, I am aware of Mr. Padalecki’s… accident.”

“Accident?” Jensen suspected Fuller was just being tactful but the word still rankled. “It wasn’t an accident. Some of my classmates set him up and then that – that _monster_ –”

“Jensen,” Fuller held up a hand and Jensen stopped talking, mostly out of surprise. “I know what happened. I read the file myself.”

Jensen stared, mouth falling open slightly. “File?”

“We had Mr. Padalecki give a statement when he saw fit to,” Fuller said, and Jensen’s eyes narrowed slightly. “We also have the hospital records. I’m afraid, however, I cannot allow you –”

“I don’t want to look at the file,” Jensen said impatiently. “I want you to do something about it! Matt Cohen's not been punished!”

Fuller stared at him with none of his usual warmth. “Jensen, I’m Sheriff of this county. I’m well aware of the situation –”

Jensen smacked his hand down on the wooden desk. “Then why aren’t you _doing_ something about it?”

For the next few moments, the only noise was the sound of Jensen’s harsh breathing as he glared at the man he had trusted all of his life.

Fuller took a deep, measuring breath and folded his hands tightly. “Jensen, I’m the Sheriff. This makes me superior to a high school boy who cannot begin to comprehend the situation we are faced with. Matt Cohen –”

“Then explain it to me,” Jensen leaned forward, eyes betraying more of him than he wanted. His voice weakened. “Please.”

Fuller stared at him for a long moment and looked down at his notes, shuffling them impatiently. “I can’t. It’s beyond your comprehension. Rest assured, we’re doing all that we can. Now, I’m a busy man, so I’d appreciate it if –”

“What exactly are you doing?” Jensen demanded.

Fuller gazed at him frostily. “I beg your pardon?”

“You heard. What are you doing? There’s no warrant for his arrest, no one’s asking for witnesses – no one’s _doing_ anything! The bastard ruined my… Jared’s life, why…” Jensen glanced away angrily, embarrassed at the frustrated tears that pricked at his eyes. “Why doesn’t that mean anything?”

Fuller sighed. “It does mean something, Jensen. It means a lot. Every species is equal in the eyes of the law, and in the eyes of our countrymen and women.”

But the words were said in a flat, lifeless tone.

“If Jared was a werewolf?” Jensen found himself asking. “Would you be doing something about it then?”

“Sheriff Fuller?” His pretty secretary peeked around the door, eyes wide. “There’s another young gentleman here, wishes to see you despite a lack of appointment –”

“Sheriff Fuller’s a family friend,” Misha’s unmistakable voice drifted through, polite but audibly strained. “I –”

Kurt brightened, smiling like the cat that had got the cream. “Send him in, Cheryl.” His gaze slid to Jensen. “Perhaps your brother will be able to talk some sense into you.”

Jensen bristled. “He is _not_ –”

“Thanks, Kurt – oh!” Misha blinked at Jensen. “Why are –”

“Save your breath!” Jensen barked at Misha. Later he would wonder how he knew his stepbrother was here for the same purpose. “He won’t shift his ass to do anything.”

Fuller made an affronted noise. “Jensen, really, I’ve explained the situation –”

“ _You’ve_ explained the situation?” The change in Misha, from tense and hopeful to angry and bitter, sharply mirrored Jensen’s own shifting emotions. He briefly wondered what that said about them. “You haven’t had to watch your mate on death’s door and then have him wake up and find his life’s changed forever. Even when he’s asleep that bastard can still get to him and I – there’s nothing I can do to help!”

Fuller made an angry retort, but Jensen barely heard it as he stared at Misha in horror. Misha’s eyes landed on him briefly before flicking away, but he stiffened and Jensen knew the same word was replaying in both of their minds.

_Mate_.

“Misha, really,” Fuller was saying. “I expected you of all people to be reasonable about this! Sometimes bad things just happen, and there is nothing anyone can do about them. Your own mother –”

Misha’s lips tightened and his eyes became scarily blank. Where Jensen was angry and defensive when his birth mother was brought up, Misha was silent and wooden. As far as they were both concerned, they had one parent, and that was their fathers – who happened to do a damn good job of raising them, barring the lapse in judgment when they chose to re-marry.

“My mother had a choice,” Misha said coldly, cutting Fuller off mid-word. Jensen thought it might have been the first time Misha had ever referred to her as such. “Jared didn’t. If this was a werewolf teenager attacked at the hands of a human, that human would have been lynched by now. You’d probably have done it yourself.”

Fuller’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to ask you both to leave. For your fathers’ sakes, I won’t take this further, but only if you leave. Now.”

Jensen and Misha both scowled and Fuller stared back, unperturbed. Without a word, they both turned and left, shoulder to shoulder all the way out of the building.

Once out in the street though, their temporary alliance dissolved, and they shifted awkwardly. For a few moments there, they had each forgotten they were deadly enemies, too caught up in the human they both cared about.

Jensen refused to think back on Misha’s earlier word. Jared and Misha couldn’t be like that. They dated, yes, but it didn’t mean anything more. It couldn’t.

“What now?” he found himself saying aloud.

Misha gave an angry shrug, gazing up at the blue sky that his eyes seemed to reflect. He was chewing his bottom lip in the way that meant he was mulling something over. Jensen waited but quickly worked out Misha was not going to grace him with this knowledge.

Jensen sighed, rolling his eyes. “We could try another department. Maybe your dad or mine would know someone, or we could –”

“No.”

Jensen glared. “Excuse me?”

Misha looked directly at him, eyes blazing. “Why hang around and wait for other people to take action? Nobody’s going to. You see how the adults here react, they’re all perfectly happy to keep things the way they are. Jared’s dad was the only one who ever wanted change, and look what happened to Jared.”

Jensen inhaled sharply. “You don’t think Lupus attacked him for that reason?”

Misha shrugged angrily. “I don’t know what to think. I just know that he was there when Jared was… wasn’t able to fight back and your _friends_ –”

“Classmates.”

“… classmates knew it was going to happen. Excuse me if everything’s suspicious right now.”

Jensen sighed, anger boiling in his gut. “So what do you suggest we do?”

A slow, sinister smile spread across Misha’s face. “We do exactly what they don’t want us to do. We call attention to this.”

*

“Jared!”

Jared glanced up in surprise as his cousin came barreling into his room.

“Sands? What –”

“You have to come downstairs right now!” When Jared continued to stare at her, Sandy seized hold of his arm and attempted to yank him from his chair. Bewildered, Jared stood up and allowed her to drag him down several flights of stairs.

“Sandy, what –”

“You have to come and see this!” she said, flinging open the door to the kitchen. It was a tight fit, given that Chris, Steve, Jeff and Sam were already there, gazing intently at the small TV on the countertop. Chris and Steve’s hands were tightly entwined and Samantha was clutching her husband’s arm with a force that had to hurt, though Jeff barely seemed to notice.

“What’s going on?” Jared was finally able to get the question out, but it died in his throat as he stared at the TV screen and at the small, perky reporter.

“… and, to recap folks, the petition on-line to change the law regarding non-human attacks on humans currently has over one hundred thousand signatures and is gaining more by the hour. Nothing like this has ever been seen in my lifetime, though of course the internet was only created moments ago!” She gave a cheerful wink. “But werewolves working with humans? Agreeing with humans? Send your comments in to our website, at –”

“You were on the news,” Chris blurt out, staring at Jared as though he had never seen him before. “You and that…”

“They didn’t mention you by name,” Jeff’s voice sounded as though he was miles away. “Just that you live in Texas and you’re a minor. They – they –”

“Someone’s trying to change the law,” Samantha said, almost a whisper. “Someone’s trying to get that, that monster prosecuted.”

Jared stared, heart beating fast in his throat.

“Someone released the story to the national papers,” Sandy was smiling at him through eyes that were glazed with tears. “Someone not _human_. They’re – people are pushing for change, all over the U.S. All over the _world_.”

Jared felt like he’d stumbled into a dream, unable to grasp what was going on.

“Not everyone’s pushing for change,” Chris grunted, but Jared noticed when he turned away to wipe at his eyes.

“Of course they’re not,” Samantha snapped back into action and Jared felt a little more settled. “When has everyone ever agreed on something? But, Jared,” she smiled at him, her resemblance to Chris and Sandy suddenly striking, “Jared, we really might get justice.”

*

  


  
Chapter Eight   


Jensen’s family had never been overly religious. His father and mother married were married by a Druid, but as far as he could tell that was the extent of their belief. When Richard and Misha had moved in with them, the four of them used to go to to worship once a week together, but Jensen had begged off the second he hit puberty and his father let it go for the sake of peace. Misha had followed suit a few years later, though Jensen knew Misha still believed, could see the dream catchers and texts and precious stones scattered across his room.

Therefore, no one was more surprised than Jensen to find himself in a place of worship for the second time in as many months.

He liked this one more, he thought, as he sat in the middle of the empty pews and gazed up at the stained glass windows. That feature was easily the most expensive in the room, and it was smaller than the building Richard used to take him to. There was something comforting about this one, though, but maybe that had something to do with the underlying scent of Jared in every corner of the building. The smell was faint, cluttered with scents of other humans and even the occasional werewolf, but it was like _his_ scent projected its own frequency – a frequency Jensen couldn't help but be tuned into. He hated feeling like this, feeling so centered on another person, but Jensen had never been able to resist when it came to his brother’s human.

He wasn’t praying, just sitting and gathering his thoughts, but Jensen didn't feel like he was being judged. Maybe it was because he was all alone. He felt faintly guilty for the steady drip of water coming from his clothes, but hopefully it would dry by the time someone else came in.

Jensen didn't know what possessed him to walk to Jared’s father’s building in the middle of a week while there was a rainstorm going on, but he didn't dwell too closely on it.

“I hope you’re not waiting for a service,” a voice behind him said, and Jensen was leaping over the pews before he could stop himself, mentally preparing to shift. He crashed to a halt when he came face-to-face with Jeffrey Padalecki, dark brown eyes gazing back at him. Jensen, steadying his emotions and forcing his muscles to relax, took a step back. Strangely, Jeff looked entirely unafraid, watching Jensen as though he was somehow the superior one.

“Sorry,” Jensen mumbled. He wanted to snap that Jeff startled him but felt he had enough black marks against his name with Jared’s father.

Jeff, though, looked at him as though he heard perfectly what Jensen was not saying. “That’s quite all right, Jensen,” he said finally, his voice stiff but his eyes amused. “Can I ask what brings you here?”

Jensen shrugged a shoulder and looked away. “Just… wanted to think for a bit.”

“I see.” Jeff paused. “You know Jared isn’t here, though?”

“I know,” Jensen said quietly. In truth, he might very well have turned around and walked straight home in the pouring rain if Jared had been here. The human confused him, and Jensen was tired of being confused.

“I see,” Jeff said again, studying him closely. “Do you…” he cleared his throat, looking reluctant. “Do you need someone to talk to, Jensen?”

“No.” Jensen didn’t go where he wasn’t wanted, thank you very much. Except, of course, when he did.

Jeff sighed. “Jensen, I don’t pretend to understand your… relationship with my son. But you and your brother have apparently helped him a lot recently, so I suppose I should say thank you.”

“You don’t need to,” Jensen said, staring at the floor. “It… it wasn’t a chore.” A rush of bitterness choked him. “It was my fault anyway.”

“Your fault?” Jeff tilted his head to the side, sharply reminiscent of Jared. “How so? Last I checked, you weren’t the monster that hurt him.”

Jensen glanced up, eyes burning. “I would never hurt Jared,” he said fiercely, and paused. That wasn’t true.

Jeff, however, was nodding. “I know,” he said softly, but the words were like a cool balm to an open wound. “Why do you think it’s your fault?”

Jensen took a deep breath and slowly sat down. He found himself wanting to speak. “Because… because it was my… I knew the people who came up with the idea.” He looked up, features wracked with guilt. “I knew them well.”

Jeff nodded, his face – and eyes – impossible to read. He was entirely different to Jared, whose eyes always revealed what he was feeling. “Did you know they were planning … that?”

“No,” Jensen snapped, before looking down at his hands. “No. But I should have. They… they talked once, about teaching Jared what werewolves were really like, but I didn’t listen. I was so… angry about Jared and Misha being together.”

“Do you disapprove of werewolves being with humans then?”

Jensen stared, all the more shocked by Jeff’s bland tone. “No! Goddess, no,” Jensen glanced round guiltily, suddenly realizing this was probably the worst place to blaspheme in. “No… it’s nothing to do with Misha being a werewolf and Jared being a human.”

“So you didn’t like the idea of Misha and Jared specifically,” Jeff said carefully. “Would you have preferred Misha being with someone else?”

Jensen gave a small nod.

“Who?”

Jensen shrugged. “Anyone. No one.”

“So it was Jared you had a problem with.” Jeff was still speaking in the same soft tone. Jensen was beginning to dislike it.

“No,” he said, before he could stop himself. “No, Jared was never a… a problem.”

Jeff’s eyes widened slightly. “So it’s Misha you had a problem with.”

Jensen looked away, feeling vulnerable and hating every second of it. “He’s always taken everything I wanted for myself. My dad adores him, always bragging about Misha’s violin playing or his chess tournament or how a fu - an angel gets their wings when he smiles. All my life, people have compared us, and Misha’s always come out on top. _He’s_ the one people want to date, I’m just good for one night. Even though he’s a geek, people still like him. I have to try, to try so hard, and yet everything just comes so effortlessly for him. I thought…” Jensen felt silly and childish and knew full well the next part would be better said to someone _not_ related to Jared, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. “I thought Jared would be different. I saw him _first_. I liked him before Misha even _spoke_ to him.”

The place was silent, save for Jensen’s harsh breathing.

“Do you want me to leave?” he said, angrier than he intended it to be.

“No,” Jeff said. His tone was different to any Jensen had heard before from him. “No, Jensen, you can stay.”

Jensen folded his arms and stared into the distance. He felt prickly and uncomfortable, his emotions laid bare.

“Some people would be bothered by the scars,” Jeff said suddenly. “We’re going to do everything we can for Jared, but… the doctors don’t think he’ll ever look the same.” There was a soft hitch at the end of his sentence.

Jensen half-turned. “Why should that matter?” he said, still fierce. “He’s still Jared. It doesn’t matter what he looks like, he’s still _him_.”

Jeff sighed. “He’s not eating, he’s barely sleeping… he’s like a shadow of the boy I used to know.”

“He’s _seventeen_ ,” Jensen said, as gently as he could. “He’s nearly an adult.”

Jeff shot him a sharp look. “I know that.” His features smoothed over and he sighed again. “I wish he wasn’t. I feel like I’m losing him.” He stared into the distance, eyes tight with bitterness. “But I suppose I didn’t do a very good job of protecting him even when he was a kid.”

Jensen felt decidedly uncomfortable, unsure whether he should reply or not – and what he should _say_ as a response.

“You did your best,” he said finally. He did not feel nearly mature enough for the conversation and, for a split second, wished he was Misha. His stepbrother always knew the right things to say to adults. “If anything, you did brilliantly. He’s still alive, isn’t he? And at one of the best schools in the country. I read somewhere…” Jensen hesitated. “I read somewhere that eight per cent of humans don’t make it to their eighteenth birthdays. I mean, that’s probably exaggerated –”

“I doubt it is,” Jeff said softly. “Maybe it’s not quite as high in this country, but it’s not as low as you think it is.”

Jensen stared, feeling sick to his stomach, like he’d eaten too much, too quickly. “Oh,” he said finally.

“We’re from two completely different worlds, Jensen,” Jeff said, not unkindly. “You can sympathize with our cause but you can never truly understand what it means to be a human in this world.”

Jensen opened his mouth to argue but found he can’t. “I don’t believe in that stuff though,” he said instead. “I don’t believe humans aren’t equal, or shouldn’t be equal.”

Jeff rewarded him with a half-smile. “That’s good.” He gave a soft sigh. “Maybe your generation will be different. Maybe things will change for my children, and their children.”

Jensen frowned at him. “You don’t think it will.”

“We’re making progress,” Jeff said, suddenly reminding Jensen of a politician. “We’re making progress all the time. But… the human community is so complex. The vampire werewolf community is not perfect, no human would dispute that. But it doesn’t judge people on race, or gender, or sexuality, or gender expression. And as long as the human community continues to do so, I just don’t see how we can achieve equality. How can we become equal if we don’t even see ourselves as being equal?”

“Jared said something like that once,” Jensen whispered. “I… I couldn’t believe it was as bad as he said.”

Jeff sighed, all the answer Jensen needed to know. “Jared dated someone back in San Antonio, did he tell you that?”

Jensen felt a prickly of jealousy. “Yes,” he said. Or at least he told Misha.

“People had an issue with that, even though they were of the same species. People had an issue because they were both _boys_. That isn’t an issue in your world, and I wish Jared could have grown up with that. I wish all my children had grown up with that.”

Jensen had met Steve and remembered Jared mentioning Sandy’s preference for the fairer sex. He knew that was unusual in the human world but in his world, it would not even be an issue. Now Jensen thought about it, everyone in his family – yes, even Misha and Richard – had been with people of both genders. He found himself shivering, because it was strange to think of it in that way. It was so… judgmental. Like a person could be measured by their gender and not by who they were.

He and Jeff talked for a little longer, but Jensen’s mind was not on the conversation. He was trying to comprehend what Jeff said, trying to understand the nuances of the human world. Who would have thought the world could have something more complicated than Jared himself?

“You’re shivering,” Jeff said suddenly, touching his shoulder lightly. “In fact, you’re _soaked_.”

Jensen gestured outside. “Raining,” he supplied helpfully.

Jeff frowned for a minute. “You could come back to our home,” he said eventually. “Get you something to drink.”

Jensen hesitated.

“Jared wouldn’t be in,” Jeff added, and Jensen found himself accepting.

*

“Do you want another cookie, sweetie?”

Jensen shook his head, smiling in spite of himself. Samantha Padalecki was in her element, he could tell, as she offered him food and drink and a towel to dry his soaking skin and hair. Growing up, Jensen had held his father at arm’s length to ‘punish’ him for marrying Richard and inflicting Misha’s company on Jensen. By the time Jensen had grasped Richard and his evil offspring were there to stay, it was too late to mend the broken bridges between him and Sebastian. He found himself almost envying the Padalecki children for their family.

Samantha sat down opposite him, resting her mug of hot chocolate on the kitchen table. She had offered but Jensen declined. The only human drink he really liked was alcohol, in any form though he prefered beer and lager. He did, however, have a penchant for junk food.

“Have you thought about the drama club?” Samantha suggested finally, and snorted at the flinch Jensen couldn't hold back. “Well, that answers that question.”

Jensen shrugged awkwardly.

“Jared likes you,” Samantha said softly, and smiled when Jensen flashed hopeful eyes in her direction. “But he also believes in love and loyalty and if you want him, you’re going to have to prove yourself worthy.”

Jensen struggled with his emotions for a few moments.

“He’s with Misha.”

Samantha bit her lip and looked thoughtful. “Jensen –”

The door slid open and Chris sauntered in. “Hey, ma, how’s it –” He stopped dead at the sight of Jensen, drawing his lips back in a snarl.

“What the hell is this asshole doing here?”

“Christian!” Samantha said sharply.

Chris shrugged a shoulder. “Sorry,” he mumbled, before shooting Jensen a murderous glare. “Why are you here, Ackles?”

“Jensen’s here because he wanted to talk to Jeff and I,” Samantha said, her tone neutral. “I think it’s best if you leave now.”

“Like he- like heck I will!” Chris drew himself up to his full height. “Have you completely forgotten what he did to Jared?”

Samantha fixed her beady eyes on her eldest son. “I am not an old lady, Christian. I’m not quite suffering from memory loss just yet.”

Chris went a little pink about the ears. “I was just saying –”

“I wanted to talk to your parents,” Jensen said, unable to meet Chris’ eyes and instead focusing on the cabinet behind him. “I’m leaving now.”

“You can stay for a little while longer, sweetie,” Samantha said. “Chris doesn’t actually live here anymore, he can’t call the shots.”

Scowling, Chris stomped over to the fridge and yanked out a beer, his gaze fixed on Jensen the whole time. He took a long swig.

“Does Jay know you’re here?”

Jensen’s gaze darted to Samantha, who pursed her lips.

“Jared’s out at the moment.”

Chris nodded, eyes bright and malicious. “Due back soon, though, isn’t he? I think him over there should be away by then. I ain’t gonna be the one to tell him his mother’s siding with the enemy.”

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Samantha said. “Jensen, honey, you know you can talk to me any time.”

Jensen nodded, unable to look at either of the Padalecki's, and stood up quickly.

“Do you need a lift?” Samantha said.

Jensen was shaking his head before she was even done. “I can walk.”

“Damn straight,” Chris mumbled under his breath, loud enough for Jensen to hear.

“Christian, I’m not asking you to like him, but I _am_ asking you to behave in a civil manner.”

“Why should I, ma? The bastard hurt my kid brother!”

“ _Christian_!”

Jensen left the kitchen to the sounds of them arguing. He passed Jeffrey in the hall, who fixed dark eyes on him and gave something that might have passed as a nod – or could have just been a nervous tic.

Closing the front door behind him, Jensen set off to walk the five miles home with nothing but his own dark thoughts for company.

*

“Are you ready?” The High Priestess asked him, her expression as serene as always.

Jared took his side inside the circle, five candles burning around him. Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Spirit. He sat cross-legged, gathered his thoughts and breathed out. “I’m ready.”

“Focus on your question.”

_‘Is it possible to have two soul mates?’_ Jared closed his eyes and filled his mind with images of Misha and Jensen, tried to recapture the emotions that ruled him in their presence. He repeated the words in his mind until he could feel every molecule of his body straining for an answer.

Then the memory came.

_Jared stepped into his house and instantly sensed that something was wrong. The house was too quiet. His dad wasn’t singing, loudly and off-key, as he prepared the family dinner. Sandy’s music wasn’t blaring out at maximum volume. Even when his mom, brother and brother-in-law weren’t at home, there was always the sound of movement. The Padalecki Clan were never ones to sit around and be quiet._

_“Hello?” Jared called out. It felt like an eternity passed before his father’s subdued voice answered._

_“We’re in the living room, son.”_

_The walk to the living room was longer than Jared could ever remember it being. Torn between rushing to get to his family and lingering to delay the news, Jared made an effort to walk at his usual pace, his hands clenching and unclenching and his heart pounding in his throat._

_They were all there: his mom, dad, Sandy, even Chris and Steve. His father seemed to have aged by several years, his face pale and tired. He and Samantha were holding hands, but the normally affectionate gesture seemed to be their tether for holding on to reality._

_Jared’s gaze skipped to Sandy, but she just shook her head tiredly._

_“What is it?” Jared demanded, voice high and panicky. “What’s happened?”_

_“What always happens,” Chris’s hands slowly clenched into fists. “The same thing that always happens when we stand up for our rights.”_

_Jared stared at his brother, uncomprehending, and gazed pleadingly at his parents. “Mom? Dad?”_

_“It’s Loretta Devine,” his mother whispered, staring up at him with haunted eyes. “She’s been murdered.”_

_Jared slowly sank into the available chair. For a moment, all he could feel was relief. His family was safe. Then the truth sank in and he instantly felt ashamed. “Murdered?”_

_Loretta’s sweet smile and steely eyes lingered in his mind’s eye. He thought about how alive she had looked the last time he saw her on television, how determined and how brave as she campaigned to be the first human candidate running for election. Jared had never admitted this to anyone but himself, almost ashamed to have such sentimental feelings, but her soul captivated him – it was beyond beautiful. How could she be dead?_

_“Shot,” his father whispered, the first words he had spoken since Jared entered the room, and Jared realized he had said his last few words aloud. “She died pretty much instantly.”_

_“She didn’t suffer,” Steve added softly. “At least, that’s what they’re saying.”_

_“Knowing the broadcasts, she was tortured to death,” Chris broke in, eyes hard as flint._

_For the first time, Jared looked properly at Chris and realized the fury was pouring off him in waves. Jeff and Samantha did not contradict him, which made Jared feel all the more uncertain._

_“Chris…” he said hesitantly._

_“I’m tired!” Chris exploded, given no indication he had heard Jared. “I’m tired of this! I’m tired of fighting, of being told we’re not good enough! I’m tired of being told that if we get harassed it’s our problem and if we’re attacked we provoked it and if we raise our voices we’re flaunting ourselves and if we stand up for our rights we’re overstepping boundaries and… demanding our rights is considered asking for special treatment and… I’m tired, okay? I’m tired.”_

_Jared stared at him with wide eyes. For as long as he could remember, Chris had been his strong big brother, who held his feelings close to his heart but never hesitated to let his family know how much they meant to him. It seemed impossible that Chris could be broken like this – could be tired._

_“It’ll get better,” Jared offered feebly, shrinking back from the force of Chris’ glare. “It will. It-it has to.”_

_Chris snorted derisively. Jared looked at his father, expecting Jeff to jump to his feet and argue. Instead, his father remained hunched over, his head buried in his hands. Jared felt the same choking, cloying fear he had felt just minutes before._

_“It will,” he said, gazing at all his family members. None of them met his gaze and Jared felt more lost than he could ever remember feeling._

_Chris was breathing heavily. “Get real, Jared,” he said in a choked voice. “You’re never going to get into that school. You’re never going to get to a good college. The only contact you’re going to get with werewolves eager to know you is through the bondslave trade.”_

_Jeff’s head jerked, his eyes blazing. “Christian! That is enough.”_

_Chris did not spare any of them a glance; he spun on his heel and stormed out of the room. Steve glanced round apologetically and hurried after him._

_With his hotheaded brother out of the room, Jared expected the tension levels to dissipate. Instead, the temperature in the room just seemed to drop. Sandy stared up at the ceiling with faraway eyes and his parents’ hands were turning white from the force of their grip on the other._

_“Now what do we do?” Jared asked, shivering, partly to break the silence and partly out of a genuine need to know._

_His father sighed and his mother pressed close to him, offering comfort without words. “The same thing we’ve done for centuries. We wait, and we hope things get better.”_

_“Will they?” Jared said, soft and desperate._

_Nobody answered._

The world felt dark and cold. Jared opened his eyes and saw that the candles had been snuffed out. For a few moments he sat in silence, mind blissfully empty. Then he made out the cross-legged figure of the High Priestess, sitting calmly a few feet ahead, and he exhaled roughly.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” she asked gently.

“No.” The honest word slipped easily from Jared’s fault. He couldn’t understand why that memory had come to him.

And, no matter how long he thought, he couldn’t see how that related to Misha and Jensen at all.

“Tristan,” she called after him, just as he made to leave. “Just remember something. Sometimes the higher powers don’t answer the question you want answered. Sometimes they answer the question you need answered.”

Jared bowed his head in acknowledgement but left just as confused and let down as he had been seconds before.

*

“Could Danneel Harris, Matt Cohen, Katie Cassidy, Chad Michael Murray and Jensen Ackles please report to the main office?” The principal’s voice was polite and steely over the intercom system but, underneath it all, Jared thought he could detect a hint of uncertainty.

Katie tossed her shiny waterfall of hair over one shoulder and stood up casually, acting as thought being summoned to the principal’s office was a regular occurrence although Jared couldn't remember a precedent. After a brief pause, Matt followed her example, and Chad stood up with considerably less confidence. Chad was pale, glancing nervously at his counterparts though Katie and Matt’s expressions gave nothing away. Jensen and Danneel were the last to stand, as confident as their former friends. However, Jared reflected, it was a different sort of confidence. Jensen looked determined, whereas Matt just looked emotionless.

“You’d better take your bags.” Charles’ voice made Jared want to shiver. He had never heard his teacher sound so neutral.

The seven of them did so and departed in a crowd of shiny hair and perfect teeth, Jensen never once glancing at any of them.

Across the classroom, Milo twisted around in his seat to toss a worried glance at Jared. Misha was biting the edge of his pen, his eyes faraway.

Although he could not explain why, Jared felt dread settle in the pit of his stomach.

*

The doorbell rang downstairs and Jared listened to the thumping of footsteps on wooden floorboards as Sandy and Chris both raced to be the first to answer the door.

Absentmindedly, Jared tried to listen in to the conversation as he stared at a particularly hideous-looking math equation, but all he could hear was the low, indistinct hum of voices. He was just beginning to lose himself in the equation when he heard Chris’ tense voice at the foot of the stairs.

“Jared! You’d better come downstairs… Sebastian Ackles-Collins wants to speak to you.”

Sebastian Ackles-Collins looked older than Jared had ever seen him, standing on the doorstep to their house as Jared approached down the stairs. Chris was lurking nearby, glaring at Sebastian as though he was personally responsible for everything that was wrong in Chris’ life. Jared shot his brother an annoyed look.

“Would you like to come in?” he said, forcing himself to look Sebastian in the eye. There was so much _Jensen_ in the older man’s features that Jared sometimes found it difficult, but his mother would be horrified if Jared forgot his manners. Sebastian may have been a werewolf, but he was also Misha’s stepfather and someone Jared felt he could grow to like.

Sebastian gave him a small, strained smile. “No, that’s all right,” he said softly. “I’ll stay out here.”

Jared was surprised to hear him refuse. He glanced at Chris to see if this would soften his big brother, but Chris’ eyes were as small and mean-looking as they had been a second before. Jared resisted the urge to sigh.

“Is everything okay?” he asked Sebastian. “Is Misha –”

“Misha’s fine,” Sebastian said, some of the tension draining from his face. Jared was used to seeing werewolf parents that did not look much older than their children but, for the first time, Sebastian’s age was apparent. Jared had never dared ask Jensen or Misha for their parents’ ages, so he had no idea if Sebastian was forty or four hundred, but he certainly no longer looked quite so youthful.

Sebastian had been hesitating, but finally found the courage to plough on. “It was Jensen I was wanting to talk to you about.”

Against his will, Jared stiffened, and Chris made a sound of clear disgust. Sebastian gave Chris a slightly nervous look before returning his attention to Jared.

“What you did today… I can’t tell you how much I, we, appreciate it.”

“What you did today?” Chris echoed. “Jared, what the fuck did you do? I swear to the Goddess of the Hunt, if you agreed to –”

“ _Chris_.” Jared was positive he did not want to hear what his brother was envisaging. “Isn’t there something you could be doing at, oh, the opposite end of the house?”

Chris scowled and folded his arms. “And leave you alone with someone of _his_ kind? Hell no. Of course, if you hadn’t been stupid enough _to invite him in_ , maybe I could have left you alone –”

Jared sighed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not a child, you know.” He had had this argument too many times to inject the adequate amount of venom into his words. He glanced back at Sebastian, resigned to the fact Chris was here to stay.

“That’s all right,” Jared said guardedly. “Anyone would have done the same.”

Chris’ gaze bored into the side of his head, demanding an explanation, and Jared switched his gaze to his elder brother.

“The cops came to our school today. Justin Hartley and the others… they’ve been taken in for questioning.”

Chris’ face smoothed out in shock. For a moment, he was at a loss for words, but it didn't last nearly long enough.

“And just when were you going to mention this?” Chris’ eyes burned. “I swear, it’s easier to get blood from a stone these days than have you –”

“They haven’t actually been charged with anything,” Jared said with a small sigh. “And I was going to tell you tonight, when Mom and Dad came in.”

Sebastian gave a soft cough. “Actually, it’s looking increasingly likely they _will_ be charged. Even their parents’ standing and money seems to be having little influence.”

Chris sneered at him. “Still in touch with all your buddies then?”

“No,” Sebastian said, with quiet dignity. “As a matter of fact, I never got on with their likes. I can understand why you don’t like us but we’re not all the same.”

Chris glanced at Jared, raising an eyebrow in silent disdain. Jared did not have to be a mind reader to know his brother was thinking, _If I had a dime for every time I’ve heard that expression…_

“So what’s this got to do with you?” Chris said, staring hard at Jared. “And if you’ve done something stupid, little brother –”

“Why do you always assume the worst?” Jared meant for his tone to be jokey but it came out with a hard edge to each word. “I’m not totally incompetent, you know. I just made sure the officer in charge knew Jensen wasn’t involved – or not involved in the way the… others were. Does that meet your seal of approval, _Dad_?”

“Don’t be a brat,” Chris grumbled, but his gaze had softened. “All right, fine, you did what you had to – though I’m sure they could’ve figured that out on their own.”

“All the same,” Sebastian said, drawing the attention of both of the Padalecki brothers back to him, “we appreciate what you did, Jared.”

Jared shrugged, a little embarrassed. “Anyone would’ve done the same.”

Sebastian gave a small laugh. “No. They wouldn’t have.” He gazed at Jared intently and Jared felt impossibly small under the force of that gaze but he met it as well as he could. Finally, Sebastian gave a small nod.

“I wanted to thank you in person,” he said simply. “Jensen has brought me kicking and screaming into the twentieth century with these carry-around phones and whatnot, but I still like face-to-face contact.”

Jared fought back his smile. Chris, however, was more direct.

“It’s the twenty-first century.”

“Is it?” Sebastian looked faintly surprised. “Oh dear. No wonder Richard thought my card for the turn of the century was so funny… Ah well.” He smiled at Jared. “Thank you,” he said, and strode away.

“Nutty as a fruitcake,” Chris grumbled, but he waited until Sebastian was out of earshot.

*

Jensen lay on his bed, staring up at the white ceiling without truly seeing it. He could feel himself drifting, his limbs drugged with lethargy. He didn’t want to think about Jared. He didn’t want to think about anyone.

And yet his thoughts kept returning to the hazel-eyed human, a bitter cycle he could not escape from no matter how hard he tried.

There was a tentative knock at his door. Jensen half-raised his head and stiffened. He knew exactly who was behind that door.

“Fuck off,” he called, his voice nowhere near as strong as he would like.

The door opened and Misha stepped in, his eyes shadowed. Jensen sat up, barely holding back a snarl.

“If you don’t want me to tear you limb from limb, you’ll get the fuck out of my sight –”

“I need to speak to you,” Misha shut the door and leaned against it, gazing at him with unfathomable eyes.

“About Jared?” Jensen could barely stand to say the name, but not saying it would be a profession of weakness that Misha would pounce on. “No. You don’t. Clear off.”

“You love him,” Misha stated, his eyes still eerily blank.

“Whatever Jared told you, it’s a damn lie –”

Misha sighed. “Jared didn’t tell me anything. You know he wouldn’t betray you like that. But I’m his _mate_. I can hear the things he doesn’t say.”

“Well, ain’t that just peachy for you,” Jensen sneered, glancing away to hide the moisture in his eyes. “Can you go jump off a cliff now?”

“I never thought I’d see you actually care for someone,” Misha said softly, but the words were not as mocking as Jensen expected. “This… it’s surprised me. I understand, though.”

Jensen snorted. “You?”

“I understand why you like him. It’s… hard not to. And you… you feel the same way I do, don’t you? The same pull, the same draw, the same –”

“You’ve always taken everything I wanted.” Jensen was surprised to find himself saying the words out loud.

Misha gaped. It was the first time he had shown emotion that Jensen could understand since entering the room. “ _Me_? I’ve spent my life living in your shadow! When our classmates see me, all they think is ‘oh, there’s Jensen’s less popular brother’, ‘oh, there’s the worse-looking Ackles-Collins brother’, ‘oh, there’s –”

“Yeah, right” Jensen sneered. “I’ve had to compete with you all my life, constantly being told how much _smarter_ you are, how _nicer_ you are, how much fucking _better_ you are –”

Misha drew himself up to his full height, scowling. “Well, you’ve never let that hold you back. Never held any weight with Sascha, did it? Or with Julie. Hell, the only people who you couldn’t ever win over were Milo and Genevieve…”

“… and Jared,” Jensen finishes softly, his anger suddenly draining away.

Misha sighed and glanced away. “He likes you,” he said, staring at Jensen’s movie posters rather than Jensen himself. “He’s only mad at you because of me. If you’d… if you’d kissed him without me being in the picture, then you would be the school’s new power couple by now.”

“No,” Jensen said immediately. “No, I wouldn’t have wanted that. Not for… not for me and Jared.”

Misha shot him a tired glance. “It’s not about what you want. You would have ended up being the main gossip subject for the next few weeks, if not the rest of the year. I doubt you’ve noticed, but it’s a small school.”

Jensen scowled. “Why wouldn’t I have noticed? I can count just as well as you can –”

“Not small like that. Small like… small like everyone knows everyone and everyone’s constantly judging each other.” Misha rolled his eyes. “I can’t wait to get out this hellhole and go to college.”

Jensen folded his arms, a little lost for words. He’d never really thought of college like that; never really considered that Misha might hate it here as much as he did.

“Where would you go?” he found himself thinking.

“Anywhere that would take me,” Misha said decisively. He shrugged. “Or the one that’s furthest away.”

Jensen moved a few paces to the left and sat down on the center of his bed. “Sebastian would miss you.”

Misha glanced at him, half-smiling. “Richard would miss you. He’d be calling every week to discuss the sport.” Misha’s eyes went a little distant. “He always wanted a son who was like him. Athletic, popular, bit of a player…”

Jensen stared at him. He swallowed and tried to crack a smile. “Yeah, well, Sebastian always wanted a son like you. All I ever hear is how brilliant you are and how I should take a leaf from your book –”

“If you take any more leaves, I won’t have anymore pages left,” Misha said lightly, and Jensen realized it was the first time he had ever laughed with his stepbrother, and not at him.

*

For the fifth night in a row, Misha entered his room without knocking. Jensen had grown used to it by now. They never spoke much, not like the first night, but it was almost… soothing to listen to Misha. Jensen liked to hear him talk about Jared, as masochistic as it made him. He liked hearing the soft tone Misha’s voice took on, the way his eyes brightened, the clear adoration. If… if Jensen couldn’t be with Jared, then maybe Misha would be a good choice. He loved Jared, Jensen could see that now, wholly and unconditionally.

And Jared loved him back.

“Are you listening to me?”

Jensen made a non-committal grunt. He may have come to almost enjoying Misha’s visits, but he had no intention to start to _accommodate_ the other boy. Misha could damn well decide for himself whether or not Jensen was listening.

“… and did you know it wasn’t uncommon for werewolves to share a human lover in the past?”

Jensen, shocked out of his thoughts, raised his head to stare open-mouthed at Misha.

“Yep,” Misha said, in his irritatingly calm voice. “Course, back then they also tended to kill the human shortly afterwards… but that’s not the point.”

“What the fuck is the point then?” Jensen snapped.

Misha looked at him with the big blue eyes that had always gotten him out of trouble and into the good graces of everyone Jensen himself wanted to impress. “I think you know what my point is, Jensen.”

“You’re insane,” Jensen said, looking away.

“Am I? So you don’t want him then? He doesn’t fill your thoughts every waking hour, his scent doesn’t drive you crazy, he doesn’t –”

“Of course I want him,” Jensen snarled, leaping to his feet. “Only he’s with you, isn’t he?”

“That’s my point,” Misha said, tilting his head to look up at Jensen from where he sat cross-legged. “He could be with you as well.”

Jensen slowly sat down. “That’s wrong.”

“Wrong?” Misha scoffed. “According to who? The government? The government approved of your mother’s death, so long as it wasn’t at the hands of humans, and the government approved of my father hunting down _my_ mother to the death for deserting us. The law’s fucked up, Jensen, and you know it.”

“Don’t bring my mother into this,” Jensen said icily. “And it doesn’t matter if the law’s fucked up, it’s still the law.”

“There is no law against this. Neither of us could marry him, but there’s nothing to stop us –”

“Stop us what?” Jensen clenched his fists. “Using him like a whore? Passing him back and forth? Jared deserves better than that, and I can’t believe you’d even suggest –”

“I’m suggesting a relationship,” Misha said, quiet but firm. “I’m not suggesting an orgy.”

“And why would you do that?” Jensen said after a few moments. “Out of the goodness of your heart?”

Misha regarded him, expression almost sad. “Because he cares about you, and I know you love him. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t give a damn about you, but he’s my mate and he deserves to be happy.”

Jensen, teeth grinding at Misha’s casual use of the possessive title, looked away, smiling humorlessly. “And does your _mate_ know you’re whoring him out like this?”

“I’m not whoring him!” Misha said, temper spiking. “I’m trying to make him happy – and whether you admit it or not, it’s obvious you’re miserable.”

“Thought you didn’t care about my feelings.”

*

For a moment, all he could hear was the sounds of someone’s harsh breathing. Then his dad spoke, voice gruff and almost unrecognizable.

“Jared, come home now. Please.”

Jared pressed the phone closer to his ear, forehead scrunching up. “Why? What’s happened?”

He could almost taste his father’s confusion. Jared was always the well-behaved son, the one who did as he was told without question.

“It’s Chris,” his father finally said. “He’s missing.”

*

“Jared, this is stupid,” Misha insisted. “Why can’t you see you’re just playing into their hands?”

“I know that. But it’s the only thing that’ll save my brother.”

Misha came forward, gripping Jared’s shoulders hard. “Listen to me. Let the cops handle it. Let the authorities handle it. Trying to do it yourself like this… can’t you see it’s suicide?”

“I’m not by myself,” Jared flashed him a grin. “I’ve got you.”

Misha did not look happy. “Of course you do. Always and forever. But, Jared, I don’t know if I can protect you –”

“I don’t need you to protect me,” Jared said softly. “I just need you to…” He let his voice trail off, unable to say the words.

Misha’s gaze softened. “Jared, you know I…” He swallowed. “Jared, you know I love you.”

Despite the cold night air and drizzling rain, Jared felt he was floating on a sea of happiness.

“But if love could save someone, a hell of a lot of people would still be alive.” Misha gazed at him, unblinking. “I’m not taking that chance. Please. Come home.”

Misha never begged. In fact, Jared had never heard of a werewolf begging, and certainly not to a human. But Misha was, and he was looking at Jared as he did it, and it suddenly dawned on Jared that while he was an inferior in the world, he was fully equal in this relationship.

Misha saw him as fully equal.

Jared swallowed. The fire of determined died in his stomach and, all of a sudden, he felt very young and very tired. “Okay,” he murmured, almost too low for even a werewolf to hear. “Okay, lets go home.”

Misha’s eyes lit up and he wrapped his arm around Jared’s waist, steering him away from the field. Jared leaned against his side, trusting Misha more than he trusted himself in that moment.

Up ahead, a light flickered. Jared found himself stiffening.

“Misha,” he whispered, “Misha, I think –”

He never finished. Misha jerked back, gasping for breath, eyes wild and shocked…

And blood began to spurt from his shoulder.

*

When Misha cracked open his eyelids, an indeterminable amount of time later, the sun was rising, his shoulder was slowly healing and Jared was nowhere to be seen.

*

  


  
Epilogue   


“It’s been a week, and there’s still no sign of him.”

Misha barely held back his angry retort. Did Jensen think he didn’t realize that? Did Jensen think that Misha hadn’t been counting every painful second, thinking of Jared in his every waking moment?

He gazed across the room at his pacing stepbrother and realized Jensen was just as frustrated as him. But where Misha bottled his emotions up, guarding them jealously, Jensen allowed his to boil up and spill over without care for when and where was appropriate.

“They’re looking,” Misha said tiredly, though he knew Jensen did not expect a response. “Everyone’s looking.”

Jensen gave a low growl and swept the contents of a nearby table crashing to the floor with one gesture of his arm. Misha watched him impassively, even though it was his room and his possessions Jensen was destroying.

What did it matter? Everything in here could be replaced.

“They’re not looking hard enough,” Jensen snarled. He spun round, glaring at Misha. “Don’t you think so?”

Misha sighed. “You know I do. What good’s complaining going to do? No one’s going to listen to two werewolves still in high school. Even the human police won’t do that.”

Jensen resumed his pacing, gnawing at a hangnail on his thumb. “Why’s it the human police?” he muttered almost indistinctly. “Jared’s an honorary werewolf. Our forces should be handling it.”

“Don’t do that.”

“What?”

“Call them ‘our’ forces. Stop making it into an ‘us’ and a ‘them’.”

Jensen paused in the center of the room, gazing at him incredulously. “But there is an us and them. Pretending there isn’t gonna make that go away. The werewolf police have more funding, more officers, more resources –”

“And Jared’s human,” Misha said tiredly. “So it’s the human police that deal with it.”

Jensen punched the wall, cursing. “Well, they’re not fucking looking hard enough. He should have been found by now! Anything could have –” Jensen’s breath hitched. “They need to find him.” He glanced again at Misha, his gaze softer. “How’s your shoulder?”

Misha, caught off guard, could only blink for a moment. “Fine,” he said finally. “It barely hurts anymore.”

Jensen gazed at him hopefully. “So you’d be up to looking for him ourselves?”

Misha sighed to himself. Of course Jensen wasn’t being nice just for the sake of it. “Jensen –”

“C’mon, Misha! You know we could track him down! He’s your mate –”

“He’s a mate to both of us,” Misha held Jensen’s gaze. “How are we gonna stop our parents from knowing what we’re doing?”

Jensen’s eyes lit up. “We could be rehearsing for a play,” he said slowly. “A play the school’s putting on that we auditioned for. And, you know, it’s kind of embarrassing…” He shot Misha a look, eyes glinting. “A school play. But we’ve got a late night rehearsal… and one of your geeky little friends has offered to let us stay the night…”

Misha frowned. “But they’ll figure it out when we don’t show up for school the next day.”

Jensen gave an irritated shrug. “So? The school might not contact them until the end of the school day. Even if they don’t, we’ll have hours to get away. They won’t have a clue where we are.”

“That’s kind of a lot of stress to put our parents through, don’t you think?”

“Do you want to rescue Jared or not? Cause if not –”

Misha glared. “You know I do. I just don’t want to get into a situation where we do more harm than good.”

“We’re the only ones who have a good way of tracking him,” Jensen stared at Misha, eyes burning. “We’re the only ones who can help him.”

“The cops –”

“It’s a missing human. A missing eighteen-year-old human who had the… the audacity to get into a werewolf high school. How hard are they gonna look? Hmm?”

Misha winced as Jensen’s words hit home. A small, nagging voice in the back of his mind insisted that he stay here and let the officers do their work. Misha had never been the type to rebel against authority.

He thought of Jared, of his slender body pressed tight against his own, of his sparkling eyes, of his melodic voice and joyful laughter…

Misha met Jensen’s eyes and gave a slow nod. “Lets go.”  


*

  


**Author's Note:**

> Huge, huge thanks go to my artist Jen aka imogen_lily on livejournal (who has produced some truly beautiful artwork; if you haven't seen it already run, don't walk, and please leave her lets of lovely feedback!) and my beta Talena aka wolfish_willow on livejournal. *hugs you both tight* You've both kept me sane with this fic and gone above and beyond the call of duty and I really cannot thank either of you enough. :) You've both been truly amazing to work with and I hope we can do it again sometime (if you're not totally sick of me by this stage!).
> 
> To sassy_minimod, thank you so much for organising this wonderful challenge and making everything run so smoothly!
> 
> Although my fic is extremely rough and I both love and hate it in equal measures, I plan to post a better version after Christmas (when my life does not solely consist of stress, lol) and I would like to thank anyone who has read this far. I hope you've enjoyed the fic as much I've enjoyed writing it.


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